More Than a Killer
by EllieOptimistic
Summary: A powerful enemy. A fallen friend. An unlikely romance. At the age of 19, Killua Zoldyck returns home to his life as an assassin. However, his descent into darkness and plans of revenge are quickly disrupted when he meets Hannah Hazel, an ordinary college student with a family secret that not even she is aware of, a secret that will change not only her life, but Killua's as well.
1. Chapter 1: Home

**More Than a Killer**

 **- _PART ONE-_** _ **  
**_

Chapter 1

Home

 _A butterfly was fluttering next to Killua Zoldyck's head._

 _With a lightning fast strike he grabbed the insect out of the air and crushed it in his unforgiving grip. He opened his fist and allowed the butterfly remains to crinkle to the dirt. Wearing a look of indifference on his face, the nineteen year old shoved his hands back into the pockets of his slim-fitting black pants and slowly continued to walk along the deserted mountain path._

 _His head was tilted towards the sky, but his view of the heavens was obscured by the disheveled strands of pearly white hair that fell over his eyes. Nevertheless, he winced at the brightness and bent his head back towards the ground, allowing shadows to obscure his face once more._

 _The dirt road opened up into a wide clearing and met its end, revealing The Seven Testing Gates standing as a barrier to block the path of any too weak to enter the land beyond. The teenage boy huffed at the brazen and overt gravitas of the gates. They were grand and imposing, a threat to any who wanted to enter and a challenge to any foolish enough to try._

 _With a disinterested shrug of his shoulders, he pushed against the thick stone gates with one hand, keeping the other submerged in the depths of his pocket. The first five doors surged open, creating a massive opening far wider and taller than necessary for the lean boy to pass through. He sighed with annoyance. He'd only meant to open the first three- anything more was a waste of time and energy- but he was on edge and didn't have absolute control over his strength at the moment. His muscles were tight and ready for conflict._

 _He stepped through the gates and into the dark forest behind them, well aware that his progress was being closely watched by the pseudo-guard to his right. He didn't spare the bald and plump man a second glance, but through the use of his peripheral vision, he noticed that it was the same man stationed there from his childhood. The thought didn't make him feel happy or reminiscent. He didn't even feel angry. Just neutral. These days that was a good sign._

 _He took his time proceeding through the dark shadows of the forest, stepping over roots and dodging trees not because he saw they were there but because he remembered_ where _they were. This was the place he had grown up. As much as he wished he could, he couldn't forget any of it._

 _A young female butler stood watch at a threshold deep inside the forest. Although her face had aged and slimmed, it was still familiar. Her eyes widened with surprise upon his presence, but she didn't speak as she stepped to the side and allowed him to continue walking._

 _This was his home. He couldn't remember the last time he had been here, but he knew that it was many years ago. When he first left at the age of twelve to pursue a life of his own, he swore that he'd never return to his old life. His life as an assassin. But that was then and this is now. It was too late for turning back._

 _Killua Zoldyck was home. Permanently._

XXX

Hannah Hazel was a 19 year old college student and it was a Friday night. It would be easy to assume that she was off getting drunk at a frat party or hanging out with friends inside a swanky downtown bar, margarita in hand. However, neither of those assumptions would be true.

Hannah was at the York New University library, sitting at the front desk in the lobby, watching the seconds tick by on the virtual clock provided by her cellphone. The screen read 1:58 AM.

 _Almost there_. The girl thought to herself. _Only two more minutes to go_.

Only two more minutes and she would finally be able to close up, head back to her precious bed, crash for the night and sleep well into the afternoon of the next day.

There were times she loved working at the library and there were times she hated working at the library. Getting stuck on the night shift was definitely one of the latter. Hannah was a library assistant, meaning that she helped fellow students find the books they were looking for, check them out, and man the front desk in case anyone had questions. Honestly, it was a pretty sweet gig. It paid well and there was plenty of down time to get homework done, doodle in her sketch book or sneak a novel off the shelves to read herself.

However, it was nearing two o' clock in the morning and her mental capacity was all filled up for the day. She had spent the last half hour of her shift just sitting and waiting by herself in a large, completely deserted library until it was officially closing time.

 _Only a few more seconds now… 3, 2, 1!_

Seeing the clock on her phone flip to 2:00 AM gave Hannah more joy than she was proud to admit. She raised her hand in the air in some sort of awkward fist pump and was immediately grateful that there was no one left in the library on a Friday night to see it.

All she had left to do was to make a lap around the library to ensure there was no one left in the building. After that, she could just lock up, shut off the lights and finally go back to her apartment.

Her stomach growled. Well, maybe she could factor in a quick stop for food first.

Both the first and second floors were clear of any stragglers. She had to kindly coax a frantic looking probably-freshman boy on the third floor to leave, however. He was scribbling down calculus problems with an undeniably impressive gusto, studying for a test that was most likely rapidly approaching. He apologized quickly and shoved all of his journals and papers into an overstuffed backpack and was on his way before she could tell him to calm down. That got her to crack a smile before she moved onto the fourth floor.

That was when she was met with a problem.

He was sitting in an armchair with his feet propped up on a low coffee table in front of him. In his lap was a gigantic and ancient looking book. It was at least five inches thick and its pages were yellow and wrinkled with age.

The boy himself looked to be reasonably older than the freshman she had previously sent scurrying away. He was much taller, that was for certain. He was sitting, of course, so there was no way to be sure, but his legs looked so long that there was no way he stood below 6 foot. And then there was his hair. She was approaching from behind him so she only saw the back of his head, but she could tell that his mound of frosty white hair was probably just as bedraggled and tousled 360 degrees around. Playful and bouncy strings of chalk-colored hair pranced around his mane of white, defying gravity as they were capable of appearing impeccably wind-blown from inside a very still and somber building.

For some reason Hannah felt hesitant to approach him. It was crazy. She couldn't even see his face, but there was just something about him that wasn't overly inviting. He radiated this sense of superiority and power that made it clear that he wasn't to be disturbed.

Hannah shook her head.

 _I am clearly sleep deprived_. She told herself ruefully, feeling foolish for her nerves. He probably just lost track of time and would be every bit as willing as the freshman boy to vacate the building peacefully.

Taking a deep breath she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Um, excuse me. I'm so sorry, but the library is closing." She said, making her voice sweeter than honey. She accompanied her words with an apologetic smile so innocent that not even the most heartless person could argue with her. It was a technique that had worked flawlessly many times before.

The boy tilted his head a few degrees so that he could glance at her out of the corner of his slanted eyes. Hannah gulped when they made eye contact. Piercing, icy blue. She saw those frigid orbs of ocean for only a heartbeat before he returned his gaze back to the book he was reading.

"Okay." He said in a bland tone. Hannah waited for him to get up and leave but he didn't.

He was ignoring her!

Steadying herself, she tried once more.

"I hate to bother you like this, but we are shutting down and I'm supposed to lock the doors and make sure that there is no one left inside the building. I have to ask you to leave."

This time he didn't even look at her.

"No."

His single syllable shocked her, leaving her standing awkwardly behind him, speechless. She hovered there for a few moments, unsure of what to do next. She hated conflict, absolutely hated it. That was why she worked in a _library_ for goodness sake. If she wanted to handle aggressive people who didn't have any respect for her job, she'd work at Starbucks.

Not wanting to anger this guy, she quickly ran through her other options. She could call her manager, tell her about the situation and ask for some advice. Maybe that would work if it wasn't two o'clock in the morning. Nancy would not appreciate a phone call in the middle of her beauty sleep. Hannah quickly ruled out that option. Of course, calling campus security would work as well. They would be able to remove this guy no problem. But the idea of bringing police into a tiny situation like this just didn't make any sense.

That left standing up for herself as the only option. She had to insist.

"I'm sorry, but this isn't up for debate." She said, clearing her throat in order to sound more confident than she felt. "You have to leave. The library is closed."

The white-haired boy flipped the page of his book and continued to scan the dense text with sharp, inquisitive eyes.

"I wasn't debating." He threw out the statement so casually, Hannah almost missed it.

She considered what he said. Was he being snarky with her?

"Good." She said, taking the comment at face-value. "In that case, you should have no problem leaving."

"Faulty logic." He said. "I only said I wasn't debating. Doesn't mean I'm going to leave."

Alright, now she was starting to get a little angry. It was two o' clock in the morning. She had been up since 7 AM and she had been working this shift since 5. She was tired and just wanted to go back to her apartment. The last thing she needed right now was _this_.

Puffing some air out of her nose, she strode a few steps forward so that she was in front of him, directly in his line of vision. She even put her hands on her hips. Anyone who knew Hannah knew that she was getting serious whenever the hands went on the hips.

"I'm not playing around." She said sternly, not having to fake the authority in her voice this time. "You have to leave, _now_ , or I will call the campus police and they will force you to leave. It'd be a lot easier on both of us if you just exit on your own accord."

That got him to stop reading. He looked back up at her, reexamining her with those shocking sapphire orbs. They were so intense, so calculating, that Hannah felt like he was looking straight through her, seeing everything with just a casual flick of his irises. It made her uncomfortable and caused her heart to respond by beating a few extra times per minute.

The corner of his mouth twitched up in a smirk.

"Empty threat." He said and continued to read.

"I told you I'm not playing around! I am being serious. I _will_ call the cops on you!" The moment his eyes were off her, she was able snap out of the trance and into a state of full vigor. Her threat might have sounded believable if her voice didn't crack at the end of it, betraying her hesitance. Her cheeks flushed pink. For the first time she was actually happy that this guy couldn't stop staring at that book or else he would have seen her blush. And then he really wouldn't take her seriously.

She waited for him to respond, but then realized that he was ignoring her again. Frustrated and mentally exhausted, she acted off instinct. If he couldn't stop paying attention to that stupid book, then she was going to remove the problem herself.

She moved her arm quickly to snatch the book right out of his hands.

Or at least that's what she meant to happen.

Instead, it was like he saw her movement coming from a mile away. Without moving the book from its resting place on his lap, he used his free hand to snatch Hannah's oncoming wrist and held it still inside his grip. All while reading that damn book.

She immediately tried to break his grip and free her hand, but to her surprise, she found herself unable to. At first, his hand seemed to be clasped very lightly around her wrist, but the moment she tried to flee, it tightened as though she was bound by an iron handcuff instead of a human hand.

"Let me go!"

"You promise to not try to steal my book again?" His tone was disinterested. Inconvenienced. Patronizing.

"I don't care about the book!" She threw her free hand up in exasperation. "You can have the book! Take it with you for all I care, I just want you to leave!"

"Awe come on, now you're hurting my feelings, Hannah." He said, another devilish smile creeping onto his perfectly sculpted lips.

"How do you know my name?" She instantly snapped. He rolled his eyes and nodded towards a little laminated card safety pinned to her navy blue polo that read _Hannah Hazel_.

"You're wearing a name card."

Oh. That was embarrassing. She recollected herself and pressed onwards in her failing attempts at persuasion.

"I'm not trying to hurt anyone's feelings. I don't make the rules." She said. Her wrist was still restrained by his hand, but she didn't fight against his grip anymore. When she didn't struggle, it wasn't all that bad. His skin was somehow rough and smooth at the same time. And it was cool. Icy. But it didn't make her skin cold. In fact she was currently feeling pretty warm…

"Then why play by them?"

"Uh, because it's my job?" She responded. Was that even a real question?

"Fascinating life style choice."

Hannah sighed. Talking to this guy was like talking to a brick wall. Except it was exceedingly more frustrating because the brick wall was actually talking back.

"I promise I won't try to take your book." The moment she said those words, the boy released his grip. She was almost surprised that he did. "But please. I'm tired. I've had class all morning and I've been working all night. I just want to go back to my apartment, so will you please just make life a little easier on me and _go_?"

For a moment Hannah thought his silence was a sign of weakening resolve. She thought he was about to give in, until…

"No."

"Great so you're back to the one word answers."

"No."

"You do realize that was a one word answer, right?"

"No."

"You are so frustrating!"

"And you are distracting me." He replied easily.

"What are you even reading?" Hannah asked, genuinely wondering what book on this planet could be so interesting as to cause someone to be such a stubborn ass to an innocent library attendant.

"It's classified." He responded tonelessly. Hannah raised an eyebrow.

"You're lying."

"Easier than telling the truth."

"Why are you refusing to leave?" She asked instead. "What can be so important that you can't wait to finish until you walk out the door?"

This was the third time she managed to get him to take his eyes off the book. This time there was humor in them.

"Absolutely nothing." He said, clearly eager to see her reaction. "I just didn't feel like leaving."

Hannah's face went blank. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief. She felt another surge of anger rising up in her but it eventually fell flat due to the sheer blasphemy of the moment.

"You're refusing to leave… because you don't feel like it?" She asked weakly, suddenly even wearier than before.

He didn't respond. He just smirked that infuriating smirk of his and flipped another page of the book.

"Why is this happening to me?" She said softly to herself, shaking her head. She was out of options. This guy was clearly not moving and she didn't want to stir up the fuss of calling the police. She wished that she was braver or bolder and could just dial those three simple digits, but she couldn't. She hated conflict. She sometimes hated how much she hated conflict.

She let out another long and loud sigh. It was definitely far too dramatic for a sigh, but she felt like she earned it.

"I'll be right back." She said. She considered adding 'don't go anywhere' as a joke, but then decided against it because this white haired boy definitely did not need any encouragement.

"Going to call the cops?" He teased.

"You know full well that I'm not going to." She called back to him indignantly.

She finished making her rounds around the library, checking to make sure there weren't any other stragglers still present. Thank God there wasn't. Next, she returned to the front desk of the library where she stored her back pack and other belongings. With a sinister smirk, she used the master keys to shut off all the lights in the library, sending the entire building into a pitch black state of darkness.

She left through the front door and locked it behind her, grinning at the thought of that jerk trying to read his giant book in the dark.

XXX

 _"Welcome home, little brother." The ghostly pale face of Illumi greeted him as he stepped through the front doors of his childhood home._

 _Killua didn't acknowledge his older brother at first. He swung his head to the left and then to the right, taking in all the sights he hadn't experienced since he was twelve and left on an adventure with… him. Everything was the same. The cold stone walls. The long blank hallways. The dark shadows decorating every corner. It was just how he remembered. He shouldn't have expected anything different._

 _"Where's father?" He asked, getting straight to the point. Illumi tilted his head, feigning the usual tells of confusion._

 _"No hello?" He asked. "Is that any way to greet your big brother after so many years?"_

 _Killua didn't respond and just stared at his brother instead, internally noticing how different it felt to be tall enough to look Illumi straight in the eyes instead of always staring up at him. It was a good change. Illumi now decorated his face with a look of disappointment._

 _"Very well. Follow me. I shall take you to father." Illumi said with a sigh._

 _Killua rolled his eyes. He knew Illumi wasn't capable of feeling any emotions and it bothered him how the older Zoldyck always insisted on pretending like he did. But that was just part of the game. Illumi was a master of disguise. What good were his needles if he couldn't conjure the facial expressions to match his adopted personas?_

 _Silva Zoldyck rested with his legs crossed on the same throne-like couch he had been seated on the day he asked his son to promise that he would never betray his friends, allowing him to leave with his new companions and live his own life. What a lie that was. Through all these years Silva had never stopped trying to get his precious heir to return to the family business. And now he was finally getting his wish._

 _Silva gestured for Killua to sit next to him, but the white haired teen silently refused. He remained standing._

 _"You've grown well, son." Those were the first words Killua heard from his father in years. He remembered the time when he would have felt something upon hearing them. Pride. Happiness. Anger. Skepticism. Something. But Killua felt nothing. They were only words._

 _"I've come home." He said. His father nodded._

 _"Yes. It took you longer than I expected, but I am very pleased you have. We've lost a lot of time, but I have confidence that you will be a fine heir nevertheless."_

 _Killua nodded._

 _"However, this time I must be certain in your loyalty to our family." Silva said. "I must inquire why you have decided to return. Where is that other boy you called your friend? Don? Yon, was it?"_

 _A flash of anger sparked through the young man's eyes, emotion firing through him for the first time since entering his family's estate._

 _"It's Gon." He said coldly._

 _"Gon." Silva agreed. "What happened to him?"_

 _Killua stared at his father for a long time, amazed at what little connection he felt towards the man. He might as well be an ordinary civilian off the street for all he cared about him. Just hearing the name Gon, however, just thinking that one, singular syllable… he felt far too much._

 _Guilt. Anger. Grief. Loneliness. Pain._

 _"He's dead." Killua said. His words were harsh and to the point, not wanting to drag out this moment any longer than it needed to be. "Gon is dead."_

 _Silva considered this for a moment, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he wore a pleased smile on his face. He nodded, satisfied._

 _"We will proceed with your training immediately." Silva said. "You will be a fine heir indeed."_

 _Silva rose to his feet and exited the room._

 _Killua followed._

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hey everyone! First and foremost I would just like to give you a giant THANK YOU for checking out the first chapter of my first Hunter x Hunter story. I only recently watched the 2011 anime and finished the entire thing in about a month. I was completely blown away by how amazing the story and characters were, so I decided to write this! Killua is older and has been through a lot of stuff- most notably the death of Gon. If you love the little guy, I'm so sorry for killing him off, but just know that it wasn't done out of spite.  
**

 **If you haven't already figured it out, the _italicized portions_ of the story are either a character's thoughts or a scene from the past. It should be pretty obvious which is which. I know that sometimes flashbacks can be boring, tedious and easily skippable, but I urge you to not skip them in my story! I wouldn't put anything in there that isn't vitally important.  
**

 **I've already written a good chunk of the story. There are three parts in total- I have a vague outline of what I want each section to be- and I've already finished Part One which came out to be ten chapters. Because of this, the first updates are going to be pretty frequent. Depending on how many people are reading and reviewing, I'll update the story around once or twice a week so stay tuned and get ready for more!**

 **Thanks again for checking out the story! Go ahead and follow or favorite, because I can promise this is going to be a crazy ride. Action, romance, epicness- you can expect it all to come in the future!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own HunterxHunter or any of its wonderful (and not so wonderful) characters! I just use them for non-profit fun in my stories:)**


	2. Chapter 2: The Book

**More Than a Killer  
**

 _ **-PART ONE-**_

Chapter 2

The Book

Hannah thanked her lucky stars that there was a Wendy's right across the street from the library. It was open twenty- four seven and was a staple for students on the campus of York New University. No matter what time of day it was, there was always somebody inside that Wendy's. That general rule held true for Hannah that night as she stumbled into the fast food joint at around 2:20 AM and found that there was actually a line to order. Pretty typical.

Nevertheless, it only took Hannah about 8 minutes to place her order and receive a cheeseburger, fries and of course a frosty over the counter all nicely packaged in a to go bag (except for the frosty, of course; she held that frozen goodness in her hand, sneaking licks of the treat as she walked).

Hannah wanted nothing more than to return home, but her goody-two-shoes instincts wouldn't let her. It was against the rules to allow somebody to stay in the library overnight and the teenage girl was paranoid that her manager would find out if she dared do so. In actuality, Hannah was hopeful that by turning the lights off and leaving, that the boy would leave as well. Some people were just stubborn by nature and the best way to force them to do something was to just back off.

Fast food in hand, she unlocked the library once more and took the elevator up to the fourth floor. She instantly wished that she had turned the lights back on for this little venture. Libraries were surprisingly creepy in the dark. The interior was pitch black; the only illumination came from the small emergency lights casting a pale blue glow just bright enough to prevent her from running into a bookshelf. But on the odd chance the guy was still there, she didn't want to encourage him by flipping the lights back on. However, that was just a precaution. Hannah was optimistic and doubted that he would still be hanging around in the blackened library.

She turned the corner and-

He was still there.

She groaned. She couldn't believe it. He was still there, casually leaned back in a comfy arm chair with his stupid feet kicked up… and he was still reading! While one hand held the heavy book, his other held an iPhone with a flashlight app shining light down on the pages of the book.

"I can't believe you are still here." She said, approaching him with more familiarity than before.

"You thought a little darkness could scare me away?"

"I hoped." She replied tartly. The late hour was not conducive of good manners.

She closed the distance between them and plopped down in the arm chair across from his. She set her meal down on the coffee table between them and began to unwrap her cheeseburger, stealing a still steaming hot fry as she did so.

"Is that for me?" The boy asked. "How kind."

"Nope." Hannah replied, deciding that it was about time he got a little of his own one-word-answer medicine.

"You mean you didn't get me anything?"

"Nope."

"So you are just going to sit in front of me and eat. That's rude you know." He said. His lower lip was forming a small pout. Hannah couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. Either way… the pout was sort of cute.

"You know what else is rude?" She asked, quickly steering her mind elsewhere. "Not letting me go home."

"Ah, so this is revenge."

"No." She told him, shaking her head. "This is a coping mechanism. If you aren't leaving then I can't either. We could be here for a while and I was hungry."

"I see." He said.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Hannah said. "Start reading again. Sooner you finish, sooner we can both get out of here, right?"

He smirked at the rare showing of bossiness from the girl.

"As you wish." He returned his attention to the book.

Hannah let out a breath. From the looks of it, he was only about halfway through. She was definitely going to be here for a while. Taking another delicious bite of the cheeseburger, she settled in for a long wait.

XXX

 _Waiting in the shadows of an alley, Killua used a shard of glass to look around the 90 degree corner onto a well-lit city street. A pudgy business man was walking home, swinging his brief case and humming a happy tune. There were a few others pedestrians on the street as well as some cars waiting for the traffic light to turn green. None of them, however, would see what happened next._

 _Leaning against the brick wall of the alley with a black hood pulled low over his face, Killua remained patient as he waited for the business man to witlessly approach closer to his imminent death. The business man- Killua hadn't bothered to remember his name- was on his way back to his uptown apartment after a conference meeting that ran late. Usually he would stop by Mario's Pizzeria for dinner since his wife and children would already be in bed, but he wouldn't make it that far tonight. When he passed by the alley where Killua laid in wait, he couldn't make out anything in the blackness- he hadn't even bothered to look. But even if he did, it wouldn't have made a difference._

 _Killua grabbed the man by his chubby neck with enough force so that he couldn't utter a noise, pulling him quickly into the darkness. With a little more pressure, he broke the man's neck. He was dead. For good measure and proof of his success, the assassin reached his sharpened hand into the man's chest and removed his heart. Not a single drop of blood dribbled onto the pavement._

 _When Killua returned home for the night, a small brown sack was swinging loosely in his clutch. His father awaited him expectantly in his room, arms crossed and chin held high. He searched his son's face for any sign of hesitance or weakness. He found none._

 _Fresh from a mission, Killua was dressed in all black. His dark pants fitted loosely around athletic legs and were tucked into tall black boots. Over a thin black shirt he wore a black jacket with the hood up, covering his snowy white hair with darkness and shadows._

 _Now directly in front of his father, Killua turned the sack upside down and dumped its contents out onto the ground._

 _A bloody, bright red human heart plopped onto the stone floor._

 _"Everything go smoothly?" Silva asked. Killua nodded._

 _The young assassin closed his eyes in disappointment as he sensed it. A spark of frustration at his family festered deep inside of him._

 _A knife was whirling at his head quickly from the right. He assumed that Illumi or one of his other siblings were hiding in the shadows, ready to strike. Calmly and with his eyes still firmly shut, Killua raised his right arm to cleanly catch the knife out of the air._

 _"How much longer will you insist on testing me?" Killua asked, opening his eyes to glare at his father._

 _He threw the knife down. The silvery blade pierced threw the heart he had previously discarded on the floor. A new spirt of blood splashed onto stone._

 _This had become a common occurrence over the past few months. In addition to his training with his father and grandfather, he was constantly tested by all members of his family. To be the head assassin of such a family required constant awareness and brutality. To Killua, however, these tests were as boring and unimaginative as the hunter exam. Silva returned his son's glare with an icy blue look of his own._

 _"Becoming the head of the Zoldyck family is not a simple exchange of power. It must be earned. I must be sure you are strong enough."_

 _"Then perhaps we should fight and you can see my strength for yourself."_

 _Silva laughed. It was a grand booming laugh that felt out of place in the somber halls of the Zoldyck family home._

 _"There is a fire inside of you." The man commented. "A fire that you did not have as a child."_

 _Killua didn't comment. He merely met his father's stare and returned it with the fire he spoke of._

 _"Yes, yes." The man said. "You are nearly ready. I just have one final task for you to complete until I can be sure of your skills."_

 _"It will be done."_

 _"A client wants a girl dead." Silva said. "However, her name and location are unknown."_

 _"That's not much to go on." Killua said in a smooth, watery voice, not letting his irritation spill into his cool demeanor._

 _"And that's precisely why we turned down the job at first. There wasn't enough compensation offered to justify the difficulty."_

 _"But now you want to see if I can do it." The boy's white hair shone silver in the dim lighting as he finished his father's thought for him._

 _"Precisely."_

 _"I need something to go on." Killua pointed out the obvious._

 _"There is a book." Silva said. "Titled 'A Comprehensive Economic History and Integrated Political Philosophy of York New City'. It will lead you to the target."_

 _Killua contemplated the idiocy of that title. Even he could not fathom how a book of that name would lead him towards a girl he was supposed to assassinate. It was very possible this client was just messing with them. If that was true, Killua would hunt down this client and bring_ his _heart back to his family as proof of his skill._

 _"Is that all?" He asked, wordlessly accepting the challenge._

 _"One more thing. He wants the body of the girl as proof of her death." Silva said._

 _"How will I contact this client once I've killed the girl?"_

 _Silva handed him a small piece of paper with a collection of numbers written on it. "The coordinates of your rendezvous point. Once you kill the girl, bring her body to this exact location. The client will be there if that condition is met."_

 _He was skeptical. It seemed easy. Too easy. He would simply research the book on the Hunter's Association Website, extract the necessary information and kill the girl. He wasn't even sure of why his family refused to take the job the first time around. Of course, there was a certain amount of liability if they accidentally killed the wrong girl- that could be easily done since the only reference point of her identity was a book. But still, Killua was careful. He wouldn't make that mistake. He speculated that it would take no more than a couple days at most to complete this mission._

 _If only he knew then just how wrong he was._

XXX

Hannah's entire body jerked awake suddenly after almost falling asleep. She sat up abruptly in the armchair and flung her eyes open, startled.

For a moment she forgot where she was, but since the first thing she saw as she woke was the library boy's pale face illuminated by the ambient light of a flashlight, she quickly remembered.

His cat-like blue eyes flickered up at her, glistening with mirth at her exceedingly ungraceful awakening. Hannah bristled, ready for him to make a comment, but he didn't, simply returning his gaze to the book. It looked like he was almost done. There was only about an inch of pages left to go and Hannah hoped that there was either an index or crazy long author's note occupying a majority of that space.

Hannah felt around the chair for her phone, where she had discarded it before she dozed off. She clicked the home screen button and saw that it was now 4:48 AM. She set her phone on her lap and turned the screen face down. It was probably best not to think about what time it was.

Placing her elbow on the arm of the armchair, Hannah used her open hand as a cushion for her face and resettled for the final stretch of this late night library marathon. She didn't try to fall back asleep again, as much as her body wanted it. She had been dozing in and out for the past couple hours, but could never fall completely asleep. She was too uncomfortable for that; she couldn't give herself completely to sleep when there was this strangely intense yet frustratingly flippant boy sitting across from her.

She turned her eyes to him to study him closely for the first time.

She was a 19 year old girl. She knew that he was attractive from the very first moment, but it wasn't until now that she realized just how handsome he was. His white hair was just as messy from the front as it was from the back. His snowy white bangs fell over his forehead in no particular order and went on to dangle above the top ridge of his eyes. But somehow despite the inherent disorder of his hair due there was something very collected about it at the same time. Hannah decided that it wasn't that he _chose_ not to tame his hair, but rather that he simply didn't need to. The look suited him.

In stark contrast to the chaos of his hair were the cool and sharp angles of his face. High cheekbones, straight nose, there was nothing about his face that didn't dance in its flawless symmetry. And then there was his eyes- those piercing sapphire orbs that were always sharp and slightly slanted, serving not as windows to his soul, but as windows to the souls of those he examined.

He was wearing a light purple long sleeve thermal paired with black pants and sneakers. His body was fit too. Of course it was. She was getting the vibe that this guy wouldn't dare give off any other vibe than one of controlled perfection. It was rather intimidating. That was for certain.

And then she noticed that his eyes weren't focused on the pages of the book anymore. They were looking directly at her.

"Done staring?" He asked casually, as if he expected nothing else.

"I think you are confusing staring with glaring." Hannah responded, thankful that her mind was quick enough to come up with a retort. "You finished yet? You're taking forever."

"You should be thankful I'm such a fast reader." He said. Finally, he closed the book, sending a responding thud through the quiet space of the library. "And yes, I've finished."

Alright so maybe it was a little impressive. He read what was probably a thousand page book in a single night. And that thing had tiny font. Hannah was an avid reader herself, but would never dare to accomplish such a feet.

Since the book was finally closed, Hannah was now able to read the cover.

 _A Comprehensive Economic History and Integrated Political Philosophy of York New City_

The hell? He spent hours reading _that_ from cover to cover? Lacking a verbal filter at the moment, Hannah quickly voiced her reaction.

"'A comprehensive Economic History and Integrated Political Philosophy of York New City'? Why the heck are you so obsessed with reading _that_? And better yet, why would you want to read the whole darn thing in one night?"

"I have my reasons."

Hannah rolled her eyes. His ability to shamelessly deflect questions was unrivaled.

"Oh come on! I gave up my night's sleep for you to read that stupid book. The least you could do is tell me why."

"I'm reading the book because I need information."

"I'd call you a masochist if you were reading it for fun." She commented bitterly, not pleased at all with his answer.

"Ha."

"What sort of information?" Hannah pressed. Getting answers out of him was like pulling teeth. He paused for a moment and then answered.

"Information so exclusive that it can't be found on the Hunter's Website."

Hannah had heard rumors about that before. The Hunter's Only Website was an online resource exclusively for hunters that pretty much held anything and everything you could ever want to know. She wasn't even sure if it actually existed until now. But still, it seemed very suspicious to Hannah that a random book in her library would hold information so exclusive. Maybe he was still teasing her.

"How do you know that?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"I've checked." He said it like it were obvious.

It took Hannah a moment to register the implication of that statement.

"You don't mean… You're a hunter?!"

He smirked at her and nodded.

"But then that means… why are you in college if you are a hunter? Wait, you _are_ a student here right?"

"Nope."

"What?!" Hannah burst out. "Non-students aren't allowed in the library after 10 pm! How'd you get past the security guard at the front door?"

"The security guard was a women."

Hannah's mouth dropped open a little. This guy looked unabashed and positively smug. It was not a good look on him. Well technically anything would probably be a good look on him- hence the weakness of the security guard- but that was definitely not the point!

"This is unbelievable." Hannah said shaking her head in denial, hoping that this was all just a bad dream and that she'd wake up in her bed the next morning fully rested and content. "Alright so let me get this straight. You're a hunter. Not a student. And you are on some sort of job that requires information that you can only get from that book in particular?"

He shrugged. "Close enough."

"And there was no other library that you could get the book from? You just had to invade a college library?"

"Of course. I'm sure the librarians in all the other York New libraries wouldn't be nearly as amusing company."

Hannah felt another wave of heat creeping onto her cheeks. Where did that comment come from? He definitely didn't mean it as a compliment, but he wasn't being snide either. Was he- was he flirting? Hannah quickly squashed that thought out of her head and went on the defensive.

"I'm not a librarian! I'm a Student Library Assistant."

"I'm failing to see the difference."

"And I'm failing to see your point."

"The _point_ is that book is one of a kind. There is only one copy and it contains highly restricted information. So restricted there's not even a mention of it on the Hunter's Website. There are few who even know about it, but I found out about it from a reliable source of mine. However, not even my source knew the location so I've been spending the past week going through every library in the city searching for it. And I found it here."

"Really? Why this library?"

"Wouldn't we both like to know."

Assuming he was telling the truth, this was all very interesting. She was under the impression that the Hunter's Website knew everything, but apparently that wasn't true. The only way a book could have escaped the scrutiny was if it was never officially published. The author might have only made one copy and didn't show it to anyone. Perhaps he hid it in a college library because he knew that no college student would bother to pick it up and read? But still that didn't answer the question of what could be inside the book that was so important nobody should know. The whole thing felt like something out of a mystery novel. It was thrilling and exciting and suddenly Hannah didn't feel so tired anymore.

"So what did you find inside the book? Was there some big hidden secret in there? And what does all this have to do with your job? Are you hunting for something mentioned inside that book?"

Book still in hand, he stood up and stretched. She was right. He was pretty tall.

"Wow, you ask a lot of questions."

"And I deserve a lot of answers."

"And spoil your curiosity? I could never." He replied.

And to her utter shock, he started to leave. It was horribly ironic that by the time he actually was going to leave, she didn't want him to.

"Wait hold on mister, you can't leave yet."

"Seriously?" He turned around and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. He didn't miss the irony either.

"You can't take the book with you. It's not yours."

"You said I could take it with me."

"That was before I knew you aren't a student. And before I sat and watched you read it for three hours." She replied sternly. The hands went back on the hips.

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint but it's mine now."

"No. It belongs to the Library."

"Does it?" He asked. She didn't like that evil glint in his eye. He flipped open the book to the page directly behind the front cover. That was normally where a York New University stamp resided. Directly beneath it should be a check out history. Neither were there.

 _Of course._ Hannah scolded herself. _If this book is unregistered and one of a kind, then of course the Library has no history of owning it._

"Do you think someone hid it here?" Hannah asked. And then she clapped her hands together in sudden recognition. "Or maybe this is what you were hunting for all along?"

"Yes to the first question no to the second." He said. "Those are the only answers you're getting."

Hannah sighed, her weariness reminding her that it was still there.

"Fine." She said. "I guess I can live with that. Good luck with your job. I hope you got something useful out of that thing."

He narrowed his eyes. They betrayed a small amount of surprise at her good-natured comment.

"Thank you." He said. It was clear that he wasn't used to those words coming out of his mouth. He didn't dally any longer and resumed his exit. Hannah was about to let him go when suddenly she remembered something very important.

"Wait! I never got your name."

He turned around and laughed.

"Yeah, that was definitely on purpose."

Unbelievable.

Hannah was ready for bed.

XXX

Killua's head was spinning. He didn't know what to think. All he knew was that he had to get back to his hotel as quickly as possible. Walking briskly through the dark York New City streets, he lengthened his strides, cutting through the air with his body as his mind waged a war of its own, trying to make sense of what he had just read.

 _A Comprehensive Economic History and Integrated Political Philosophy of York New City_

The title was complete bull shit. A trick. It had absolutely nothing to do with what was actually inside the giant book.

Killua always did think Gon's father was a sneaky bastard. He was never where you thought he was going to be and he was always popped up in places you'd never expect. Killua never expected for him to pop up here.

It was Ging Freecs who wrote the book.

The first hundred pages or so of _A Comprehensive Economic History and Integrated Political Philosophy of York New City_ were everything they seemed to be: dry, boring, dull, historical, academic. Ging probably copy and pasted that crap in just to deter people who might try to read it. Or play a joke on the person who was supposed to. Or something in between. Ging was a trickster like that. But on page 107 things changed. The narrative shifted from text book third person to a particular man's point of view. That part was written in first person. Ging never introduced himself directly, but he didn't need to.

In the book, Ging wrote about his life experiences: taking the hunter exam when he was young, hunting down hidden archeological sites in his teens, and all other kinds of random junk. Through Gon, Killua had heard enough stories about Ging to recognize the man narrating the book.

Of course, reading it wasn't that simple. Nothing with Ging was ever simple. He would mix in personal anecdotes with tall tales that absolutely had to be lies. He'd slop in a couple hundred pages of political philosophy most likely just to frustrate and annoy the reader. It worked. It worked because Killua was forced to read through every single word of the book in case Ging threw in a piece of important information in the middle of historical gibberish. And he did.

Nestled in between fifty pages of economic theory and one hundred pages about the stock market, Ging spoke about his family.

He mentioned a woman he fell in love with. Gon's mother.

And he mentioned giving up his son. Gon.

And he also mentioned that Gon wasn't an only child. He was a twin.

Gon had a sister.

He didn't mention any names in the book at all, so the identity of this sister was still a mystery. However, Killua was certain that _this_ was the girl he was hired to assassinate. The sister Gon never got a chance to know. The sister he wouldn't ever get a chance to know.

Although there wasn't any concrete names, dates or locations in the book, there was one thing that gave him a clue. There was a miniscule flicker of aura coming from the back cover of the book that only the most skilled nen users would have been able to detect. It required a considerable amount of aura focused into his Gyo to see what writing was hidden on the back cover.

It was a website URL.

Finally arriving back at his hotel, Killua headed directly towards the computer lab in the downstairs lobby. He sat himself down at a desk where the computer screen would be out of view for the security cameras, made sure no one else was present, and turned the computer on. After the few agonizing minutes it took to boot up the PC, he furiously typed in the internet address.

A single web page was loaded onto his screen. There were only two words and a picture.

MY DAUGHTER.

And the picture was of _her_. Hannah Hazel. The librarian girl who watched him read the book for hours because of some personal moral code.

 _She_ was Gon's sister. And the person he was supposed to kill.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hi again! How about that cliff hanger? Pretty intense. Killua's family wants him to kill Hannah- who is actually Gon's sister- for a mission! But why? And Ging is being all sneaky with a secret daughter and a book. And speaking of the book, how did the Zoldyck's client even find out about it in the first place? Oh, there are so many questions and just not enough answers. You'll have to stay tuned to find out what those answers are ;)**

 **I would like to give a GIANT thank you to all of you who reviewed. As I'm sure you know, it means a lot.**

 **The next chapter will most likely be up on Thursday since I'll be out of town for a while.**

 **I'll chat with you then,  
**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter**


	3. Chapter 3: I Couldn't Save Him

**More Than a Killer**

 **- _PART ONE-_  
**

Chapter 3

I Couldn't Save Him

 _Rain was splattering against the ground in a frenzy. There was no rhythm to the music of the falling raindrops, only a chaotic mass of noise that buzzed in Killua's ears, preventing any rational thought from brewing in his mind._

 _The parched earth sucked up the rain like an old sponge, drinking and drinking without any sign of stopping. That part was good. It meant the dirt hadn't turned into mud yet. It was still hard enough to press off against if he needed to make any sudden movements._

 _"Careful." He warned to Gon. "This guy's strong."_

 _The 18 year old hunter was standing next to Killua with that familiar stubborn look on his face. It was that same look that told Killua that Gon hadn't heard a single word of his warning. Most of the time he felt safe standing next to Gon. More confident. More relaxed. Happier. But it was times like this that the brown eyed fireball only made him feel nervous. There was no reasoning with him when he got like this. His eyes were fixated on the goal. And his muscles weren't going to stop until he achieved it._

 _Suddenly, Gon sprang forward and attacked the enemy. Killua hissed in frustration and had no choice but to follow._

 _The man they were facing was very strong indeed. He was calm, calculating, and didn't use any more of his strength than he deemed necessary for the moment. And that was why it was especially frightening that he hadn't even used any special techniques yet._

 _He wore some sort of metal mask. It covered the entirety of his face, leaving only a breathing slit in front of his mouth and two wider slits for his eyes. The sky was so dark from the rain that Killua couldn't make out what color they were, however. The man's body was covered by a loose-flowing cloak with a hood raised over his head. To an ordinary person, the cloak might have been cumbersome and annoying in battle, but he hardly seemed to mind. He was certainly not ordinary._

 _Gon rushed at him like a fireball, throwing punch after punch, mixing in kicks and feints, picking out weak spots, and aiming for them accordingly. However all of his ferocity barely seemed to faze the Man in the Metal Mask. He would simply raise a hand to catch Gon's punches and then release him so that the boy could throw another. The Man dodged easily and was always one step ahead._

 _This guy was impressive, being able to handle Gon like that._

Let's see if he can take both of us _. Killua thought with determination._

 _The white haired teen leaped into the fray. He didn't waste any time. With sharpened claws, he went straight for the heart. The Man, however, simply grabbed his wrist and flung him to the side. Killua landed on the ground with a thud. Next the Man went on the offensive. He punched Gon right in the gut and sent him flying as well._

 _Both boys wasted no time in standing up. They shared a glance and then nodded, understanding resonating between them. After so many years of traveling and fighting together, they could wordlessly communicate their messages with ease._

 _No more holding back._

 _Killua transmuted his aura into lightning while Gon began to charge his Rock-Paper-Scissors attack. Crackling just like the weeping sky above, Killua sent bolts of electricity flying at the Man in the Metal Mask. He dodged the first two but merely decided to slap away the third with a swipe of his hand. The lighting was deflected off into the sky, lost in the fury of the storm._

 _The rain was picking up now. The sky boomed with thunder. Killua's heart pounded faster._

 _Right now his best option was to distract his opponent as much as possible while Gon charged his attack to full capacity. If they could do that, no way this guy was living._

 _Killua pulled his two yoyos out of his pockets and began swinging them at the Man in the Metal Mask. He dodged and avoided them easily, but the point was that Killua was making him dance._

 _He was growing accustomed to the Man's quick movements and heavy blows. The former assassin's fast reflexes and clever battle strategy helped him stay in the fight while Gon charged up. The Man in the Metal Mask was clearly surprised by his ability and was thrown off balance. Killua knew that this was his chance to go on the offensive._

 _Still slashing his yoyos threw the air, Killua moved in closer to his opponent. In his right hand, he began to gather up more lightning. Once he had a sufficient amount, he release the yoyo he held in his lightning soaked hand and sent it flying towards a weak spot at the base of the Man's neck. If it landed, it would crush his windpipe._

 _But it didn't. Killua didn't expect it to. The Man snatched the yoyo out of the air and caught it decisively inches away from his throat. Killua was fast. He surged at the Man with a lightning fist and unloaded the attack on the Man's chest, making contact with his sternum. Landing the punch felt good. The Man was knocked back several feet, creating distance between them._

 _But other than that the attack did nothing._

 _Killua tensed. He hadn't been trying to take him out, but he hoped that he could at least deal a little more damage. The Man in the Metal Mask started walking towards Killua slowly. Killua glanced at Gon. He was almost finished._

 _With a mighty hand, the Man grabbed Killua by his neck and raised him off of the ground so that only his toes scraped against the dirt. It was hard to breath. The Man's hand was suffocating him. Killua choked, gasping for air. He transmuted his aura into lightning, hoping to shock the Man into loosening his grip, but it was to no avail._

 _"Stay out of this." The Man spoke. His voice was growl-like and scratchy, almost like it was being broadcasted through a radio. He was most likely altering his voice on purpose, protecting his identity at all costs. "You mean nothing to me."_

 _Hand still clenched around Killua's throat, the Man raised him higher off of the ground; the boy's body dangled helplessly. With his free hand, the Man punched Killua just above his left temple. First he felt his skin split. Then he felt his skull crack. Then he felt his brain slam against the inside of his skull. Once again Killua's body was sent flying through the air. He landed even harder than the time before._

 _"Now, Gon." Killua whispered as the blood poured down from his wound. He didn't know that so much blood could come from your head…_

 _Fully charged, Gon surged forward, his fist blazing with red hot aura. The attack illuminated the dark landscape, lighting up the obscure rocky wasteland with pure spirit and energy. Killua watched in amazement. He could never get sick of seeing this._

 _Gon's attack landed with a bang. The Man in the Metal Mask was knocked backwards and collapsed onto the ground._

 _Killua managed a smile. "You did it."_

 _"You alright, Killua?" Gon asked with worry. He rushed over to kneel next to his friend, examining the wound on the left side of his forehead. "Yikes that looks nasty."_

 _"It'll heal."_

 _"You might have lost a few brain cells though."_

 _"I'd still have more than you." Killua managed the joke and Gon responded with a hearty laugh._

 _"Sorry to interrupt." A thick husky voice shattered the moment, sending jolts running up each boy's spine as their eyes widened with shock. The Man in the Metal Mask had gotten up. He didn't even looked injured. "But did you really think I'd be that easy to defeat?"_

 _"No." Gon said, standing up to face the Man down again. "But it will be done."_

 _Gon's words were tough, but Killua saw right through them. Gon was breathing hard. His aura was diminished. He was sweating buckets. That last attack had taken nearly all he had._

 _Killua stood up next to Gon. The blood pouring down from his wound had completely covered the left side of his face in a sheet of red, obscuring his vision. He placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder. He spoke to him quietly._

 _"Gon. We have to get out of here. We can't beat this guy. He's too powerful."_

 _"I don't care." Gon said, not taking his eyes off of the enemy. "Defeating him is the best shot that I have at learning the truth about Ging. I have to find him again. I'm not going to just give up."_

 _"Don't be an idiot, Gon." Killua said, tightening his grip. "He will kill you. We'll find another way to get to your dad."_

 _Gon removed Killua's hand from his shoulder._

 _"I don't expect you to stay." Gon said bravely. "I'll fight him alone and give you an opening to escape."_

 _"I thought I said don't be an idiot." Killua growled._

 _"Thank you for all you've done in helping me find Ging. Twice. But I won't let you die for it. I have to take the risk alone. This is my battle. Not yours."_

 _"I'm not leaving you." Killua said in a crystal clear tone. "And you have your mind dead set against leaving too, right?"_

 _"Yes." Gon nodded._

 _Killua let out a sigh. He wanted more than anything to just pound Gon on the head and run away to safety like he had done all those years ago during the war with the Chimera Ants. Every instinct in his body told him that this was a bad idea. That they should run for the hills. He wanted to talk Gon down and convince him of this too._

 _But he saw the fire in his best friend's eye. He saw the determination. The unwavering resolve. He had to trust his friend on this one._

 _"Then I guess there is nothing we can do besides fight together."_

 _"Killua." Gon looked at his friend with a massive, goofy smile on his face. "You're the best best friend ever."_

 _"You're such a moron." Killua smirked, ignoring the warmth he felt at Gon's statement._

 _"Alright!" Gon declared. "Let's go!"_

 _Once more, Gon sprung back into battle, charging at the Man in the Metal Mask at full force._

 _"Idiot!" Killua cried from behind him. He started running after his friend. "We should come up with a plan first!"_

 _Gon went to punch the Man on the side of his head, but he never made contact. The Man snatched Gon's punch out of the air and then twisted his captured arm so that the bone broke. A resounding crack pierced through the air followed by Gon's agonized shriek. Gon fell to his knees in pain._

 _"Get up." The Man in the Metal Mask said harshly, grabbing Gon by his shirt and pulling him up into a standing position._

 _Entire body surging with electricity, Killua flung himself at the Man, doing everything in his power to protect his friend. The Man kicked him away like a rag doll onto the ground. He felt a few ribs crack under the impact._

 _It had rained so much now that the ground was finally turning into mud. The brown goop softened his landing._

 _"Any last words?" The Man sneered at Gon. The brown eyed hunter stared back at him without any fear._

 _"Ging is a good man. I don't believe any of the stories about him. I'm going to find him again." Gon said. "I'm never going to give up. Ever."_

 _The Man laughed, long and cruel. "Is that all?"_

 _Killua tried to stand up. He propped his body up on one knee, but it felt like he had been shattered into a million pieces. He stared desperately at his best friend, fear pumping through his blood. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening. He had to do something. He collapsed back onto the ground._

 _"Killua." Gon said, softer this time. His voice was so quiet that there should have been no way that Killua could have heard it over the roar of the storm. But he could. "I'm sorry."_

 _And then the Man in the Metal Mask placed his hands on either side of Gon's head. And he snapped his neck._

 _Instantly lifeless, Gon's body dropped to the ground like a rag doll into a crumpled heap in the mud. So much energy. So much vigor. So much_ life _. And it that split second it was all gone._

 _"NO!" Killua shouted. His voice high pitched and painful. It felt someone had stabbed a knife through his heart. "GON!"_

 _He wailed the name of his friend over the torrent of the rain. He tried to stand up again and failed again. After a few more fruitless attempts he started to crawl, dragging himself through the mud just to be at the side of his friend._

 _The Man in the Metal Mask watched him with curiosity. But Killua didn't stop. He didn't stop until he had dragged himself to the side of his best friend._

 _"Gon." Killua said. The boy's face was pressed down in the mud. Killua turned it up so that he could look into his friend's eyes one more time. They were still open. They were still a warm shade of brown. But there was nothing there. "Gon."_

 _Killua felt the tears begin to stream uncontrollably down his cheeks. He shook his head. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be happening. Killua let go of Gon's face and it collapsed back into the mud._

 _"Damn it Gon, wake up." Killua said. His voice was desperate. Pleading. "Please wake up. You're not dead. You can't be dead. WAKE UP!"_

 _"Pitiful." The Man in the Metal Mask watched the scene below him, never having seen anything quite like it._

 _Killua didn't pay him any attention though. He collapsed onto his friend's chest. Crying and screaming. Screaming and Crying._

 _"One down. One to go." The Man said. "Ging will rue the day we met."_

 _And then he left, leaving the snowy-haired boy to mourn his fallen friend alone._

 _"Gon." Killua whispered. "Gon."_

 _Killua slowly lost consciousness, seeping into a blackness far less terrifying than the one that now consumed his life. When he woke the sun was shining. The rain had stopped. And Gon was dead._

 _The blood that caked onto the left side of his face had dried, leaving a crimson stain that might not ever wash away. The tears that rolled down his cheeks were more subdued now. Quieter._

 _He picked up Gon's body and carried him. He carried him across the barren wasteland. He carried him to a port city. He carried him on a boat. He carried him up the hills of Whale Island. And he carried him to his home. He carried him to his Aunt Mito._

 _When she opened the door it took her a few moments to register what her eyes were seeing. Killua witnessed the moment her world changed forever. She gasped and cried out Gon's name. She rushed to her baby, still in the arms of his best friend._

 _"I'm sorry." Killua whispered. He didn't recognize the sound of his own voice. It was hallow. Empty. "I couldn't save him."_

XXX

It was raining.

Killua stood leaning against the window of his spacious penthouse hotel suite with one forearm pressed against the glass and his forehead resting on his wrist, staring out at the city below. It was hard to tell what time of day it was. Killua himself didn't even know. The sheet of clouds blocking the sun from the Earth cast York New City in a gloomy haze. Not dark. Not light. But definitely somber.

He breathed out, forming a cloudy smudge on the glass. And then he watched the smudge fade away slowly until the glass was clear again once more.

The feeling wasn't anything new, but Killua had no idea what to do next. He was always able to formulate strategies for missions and always knew the correct method of attack in a fight, but when it came to choosing the next monumental path in his life, he was as clueless as ever. After all that was why he followed Gon around for so long, wasn't it? Because he didn't know what else he wanted to do with his life? And now Gon was gone and there was no one he could turn to for advice other than himself.

And he gave horrible advice. Even now his body was itching to do only one thing. It was the all-encompassing goal that had consumed his body ever since the day Gon died: revenge. That was a large part of why he returned to his family in the first place. To regain those underground connections, to practice the art of murder once more: it was all for the purpose of killing the man who killed his best friend. He couldn't think of any other purpose he might want to serve on this Earth.

Until he found out that Gon had a sister. Until he met Gon's sister. Until he realized that his task was to kill Gon's sister.

His first instinct was to just abandon the mission and let Gon's poor innocent sister live an ordinary happy life. She deserved that. And of course there was the fact that Gon would never forgive him if he killed his sister. It would be an insult to his memory. An insult to their friendship.

But there was something that was bothering him.

He kept constantly having these flashbacks to the moment Gon died, vicious shots of painful memory that Killua had spent the last six months trying harder than anything to forget. But he couldn't. He remembered everything. Right down to the words the Man in the Metal Mask spoke after he snapped Gon's neck with a flick of his wrists.

 _One down. One to go. Ging will rue the day we met._

At the time, Killua hardly even heard those words. He was too busy watching his best friend's lifeless form crumple to the muddy ground. He was too busy clawing his way to his best friend's side, screaming, crying, denying. He was too busy pressing his ear to Gon's stagnant chest, listening desperately for a heart that would never beat again.

He was too busy to think about what those words meant.

 _One down. One to go._

There was someone else that man was trying to kill.

 _Ging will rue the day we met._

And he was doing it to fulfill some kind of vendetta against Ging.

What better way was there to exact revenge against a person than by killing their children? As he stared out at the gray buildings and congested traffic below, Killua arrived at the obvious conclusion. The Man in the Metal Mask, the man who killed Gon, was also after Gon's sister. But the identity of the sister was secret. Ging made sure of that. The Man in the Metal Mask probably couldn't find her. Or at least he couldn't find the book that lead to her location. And that was why he hired a Zoldyck to carry out his dirty work. That was why he hired _him_.

His client was the man who killed Gon.

That realization should have made him angry. It should have made him livid. But instead, an icy calm- a chilling satisfaction- spread throughout every nerve ending in his body. Once he killed Gon's sister, he was supposed to bring her body to his client. That meant he would come face to face with the man who killed Gon.

And Killua would take that opportunity to kill him. Or die trying.

Perhaps murdering Gon's sister was worth it after all. Who cares about the death of a single girl if he could use her death to exact his revenge?

There was a knock on the door.

Sliding his hands into his pockets, he walked across the suite, passing a marble statue and renaissance painting, towards the door. He opened it without reservation.

Standing at the threshold was Kurapika and Leorio.

Killua hid his surprised and maintained a disinterested countenance. He raised an eyebrow.

"I can't believe it." Leorio said, his voice a small, gratified whisper. And then he grew louder. "I can't believe it! We finally found you!"

"It's good to see you again, Killua." Kurapika said calmly despite the growing smile on his face, soft and pleasant. Killua narrowed his eyes upon seeing the unwanted guests at his threshold.

"I'm not interested in a reunion." He said. His tone was bored but his words were harsh.

"Well that's too damn bad because you are getting one." Leorio declared, taking it upon himself to shoulder past the teen, making his way into the penthouse suite. "Why the hell is it so dark in here? Sheesh, Killua, you could at least turn on the lights."

The tall, wiry doctor fumbled around the wall and flicked on the light switch. The suite was suddenly illuminated in a blinding yellow glare, leaving no shadow in the entire room. Leorio winced a little. "Alright maybe that's too much." And then he flicked a few different switches until the hotel suite was bathed in a more soothing, dim lighting. He then walked around the room, clearly impressed. "Not too bad, kid. This place is _nice_."

That was an understatement. The penthouse suite was several notches above nice. Creamy marble tile covered wide sweeping spaces decorated with tones of chocolate brown, emerald green, and tan. On the far wall were wide floor-to-ceiling windows that gave a glorious view to the city below. The suite boasted a small kitchen with stainless steel appliances and marble countertops, a living area with two cream colored couches and a recliner made comfy with a thick green rug under the chocolate coffee table, and a dining area with a dark wood table beneath a sparkling chandelier. To the side of the space was the master bedroom with a large connecting bathroom nearly as spacious and opulent as the rest of the suite itself.

"Why are you here?" Killua asked, not in the mood for chit chat. He gestured for Kurapika to come inside and led his old friend to the living area where they sat stiffly on the couches. Leorio didn't join them. He remained standing.

"Isn't it obvious?" The oldest of the three said. For the first time his voice turned hostile. "After… after Gon died you just disappeared. You visited his Aunt and then you were gone. No one could find or locate you anywhere. You didn't even come to his funeral."

Killua returned his disappointed stare with a defiant glare of his own. He was not in the mood to talk about this right now.

"That still doesn't explain why you are here." Killua said. "Or how you found me for that matter. Perhaps I need to do a better job covering my tracks in the future."

"God, how thick can you be?!" Leorio said, throwing his hands up in the air. "We are your _friends_ , Killua. Gon being dead doesn't change that."

"You're wrong." The white haired boy snapped back, finally losing his cool. A hateful glint twinkled in his razor sharp eyes. "It changes everything."

"We've been tracking you for months." Kurapika said, breaking the tension with his calm, didactic statements. "I'd say you are quite good at covering your tracks. However, this is the same hotel the four of us stayed in two years ago during that year's auction. I have someone who owes me a favor at the front desk. She told me when you checked in. Sentimentality got you in the end."

"A mistake I won't make again."

"Leorio and I aren't here to disrupt you or change your mind about whatever it is you've been doing for the past six months. We were just worried about you. We wanted to make sure you are okay. Because you are our friend." Kurapika spoke to Killua gently, but firmly, making it clear that they weren't going to leave without confirmation that he was indeed alright.

"I'm fine." Killua said. "I just wanted to be alone."

"I think you've had enough alone time." Leorio said, his tone much gentler than before.

Killua stiffened. They were talking to him like he was a sheet of thin ice, ready to shatter at the slightest pressure. And maybe that was true. But he wasn't going to let them know that anytime soon. He needed them off his back. He had a job to do and he wasn't going to get anything done with these two hanging around.

They were right. They _were_ friends. But not anymore. He didn't have any friends. He only had one purpose: retribution.

"Look, I know this comes as a surprise to the two of you, but I really am just fine. Dandy. Happy as a bird. So if you don't mind, I would like to get on with my life now. I'll make sure you get a Christmas card in the mail." Killua stood up and gestured towards the door. "Thanks for visiting."

Leorio crossed his arms and laughed.

"You're not convincing anyone, Killua."

"For once, I agree with Leorio." Kurapika nodded, making no motion to stand up. Killua frowned. He was going to have to take a different approach.

"Can we do this some other time?" He said stubbornly. "I promise to spend as long as you want convincing you that I'm okay, but I'm busy right now."

"Oh yeah?" Leorio asked. "Doing what?"

"I'm on a job." The late teen smirked.

"What kind of job?" Kurapika asked with his eyes narrowed.

"Confidential."

"You're working as a hunter again?" Leorio asked skeptically.

"Not exactly."

"Wait- you don't mean… you're not-"

"Yep." Killua's glare was a pure challenge, daring his two old _friends_ to say anything about his recent career choice.

"You're working as an assassin again." Kurapika said softly, closing his eyes. The disappointment on his face was palpable. For some reason that made Killua bristle.

"You wanted to know what I did after Gon died." The white haired assassin said. "Well, I went home. So you don't have to worry about me being lonely. I have family love to keep me going through the hard times."

His voice was sarcastic and harsh. Everyone in that room knew no such thing came from the Zoldyck family household.

"You're full of shit, Killua." Leorio said, anger rising again. "Why do you have to do this to yourself? We could have helped you! That's what friends are for, but you had to just throw away everything you had accomplished in the past seven years! Gon would be so disappointed in you!"

Killua's eyes bulged and nostrils flared at that statement. "Well that doesn't matter, does it? Gon's dead. What he thinks doesn't mean a damn thing anymore."

Anger bubbled up inside him like boiling tar. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to rip Leorio's head off right then and there. But he had to control himself. He had to hold in the anger for now. He would take it out on the Man in the Metal Mask later after he delivered the library girl's body to him. Ripping his claws through some flesh would feel so sweet…

"You can't honestly believe that can you?! I don't understand this, Killua. I don't understand what you're doing at all! We _all_ miss Gon, not just you! Will you just come to your senses and grieve like a normal person with the rest of us?" Leorio eyes were large and desperate and by the end of his speech he was breathing hard. Meanwhile Kurapika opened his eyes. And looked straight at Killua.

"You returned to your life as an assassin because you want to kill the man who killed Gon. Correct?"

Killua forced his shoulders into a shrug.

"What of it?"

Understanding dawned onto Leorio's face. His mouthed formed a small, round "O", but he remained quiet this time.

"I understand." Kurapika said. "You know all too well just how much I understand about seeking revenge. Revenge dominated my life for so long. Now that I'm older I can look back with hindsight and say that I wish I had not allowed my rage to consume me as much as it did. I was willing to throw away everything just to obtain my vengeance. I never wanted you to follow the same path."

"It's not revenge." Killua didn't return Kurapika's gaze. He looked out the window. It was still raining. "It's what's right."

"I fell under the same misconception for the longest time as well. But revenge isn't justice. As much as we would like it to be."

"You don't get to lecture me about this." Killua spat. "You don't get to try and stop me. I know what I have to do and there is nothing that you can do about it. I don't care who I kill, I don't care who I hurt. I only care about one thing."

Killua turned his stare from the outside world to rest on Leorio for a moment. The doctor stiffened and swallowed hard. And then the boy's icy blue eyes shifted to rest on Kurapika. He remained still beneath them, but his heart rate picked up slightly. The temperature of the room must have dropped by several degrees. The heavy aura of killing intent suffocated all the life out of the room.

"So you both have two choice." The assassin said slowly and clearly. "Either you get out of my way or you try to stop me. I can promise you that if you chose the latter, you _will_ die."

For a few moments there was only silence and stillness. And then Leorio broke it with a shake of his head.

"I don't even recognize you anymore, Killua." He said. He sounded very old and very sad. "Let's go, Kurapika."

The blonde nodded and stood up, following the young doctor out of the suite. The door slammed shut behind them. When they were gone, Killua collapsed down on one of the couches and covered his face with his hand.

He didn't know whether his threat was real or fake. He didn't know if what he was doing was right or wrong. All he knew was that he wanted it all to be over. He wanted to just kill that girl and then kill the Man in the Metal Mask. He wasn't scared of failure or death. He would welcome both those options with relief. The much more frightening thought was what would happen if he were to succeed. Then he truly would have nothing left.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **A part of me loves this chapter and a part of me hates this chapter. It is just so dang sad. Seriously, when I first wrote it, I was in a legitimate funk for a couple hours. Even reading it back for editing, I can't help but feel slightly depressed. Poor Killua.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it regardless. Next chapter, we'll see a lot more of Hannah and dive further into her POV.**

 **Oh, and let's hope Killua changes his mind about killing her because that would be the worst love story ever.**

 **Much love and happiness,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter**


	4. Chapter 4: What Could Go Wrong?

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART ONE-  
**_

Chapter 4

What Could Go Wrong?

Something was burning. Hannah sniffed the air once as she poured her glass of orange juice. Yep, something definitely smelled a little bit… toasty.

The toast! Suddenly remembering something _extremely_ important, Hannah abandoned her orange juice and hurried across the cramped kitchen space to the toaster and immediately ejected her slightly crispy toast. She picked it up and examined it. Alright so it was a little blackish, but as Hannah checked the time, she determined that it was edible. Spreading a little bit of peanut butter over the bread to cover the burnt surface, Hannah called her breakfast complete. With toast in hand, she slugged down the rest of her orange juice, grabbed her backpack and was out the door of her apartment.

She hated when she had to rush breakfast in the mornings, but whenever she had an 8 AM class like today, it always seemed inevitable. Both of her roommates never started their school day before 10, so Hannah was constantly in a state of jealousy.

Her apartment was pretty close to campus. A brisk walk could get her to her first class in 15 minutes. But it had to be v _ery_ brisk. If she was being perfectly honest, she was always out of breath and slightly sweaty by the time she got to the lecture hall. Every. Time.

But still, she preferred walking over taking the bus because she loved to enjoy the morning air and think about the day ahead… Okay, that was a lie. The real reason she walked was because the bus route to campus was long, made a billion stops and was never on time. She'd have to leave a full half hour before her class' start time to be safe. And she _never_ got up early enough to make that happen.

Right on time at 8:01, Hannah made it to the right building and slipped into the large lecture hall, taking her normal aisle seat about half way down the rows.

Organic Chemistry. It was a staple for aspiring Pre-Med students, but was all around a complete nightmare. They say that you either love or hate Organic Chemistry, but Hannah had no idea how anyone could claim to feel the former. The whole class was just a whole bunch of rules, memorization, and carbon atoms slopped over power point slides while a wrinkly white male professor blathered on about who-knows-what. It was very easy to drift off. This was _actually_ the time that Hannah thought about the day ahead and drifted into deep contemplation.

And, of course, her mind drifted straight to _him_. After her late night excursion with the stubborn white haired boy, her weekend was pretty uneventful. Painfully so. She spent Saturday doodling while watching TV episodes on Netflix that she had already seen before and Sunday studying for the same headache of a course she was sitting in now. Every moment with him seemed so interesting and thrilling that everything afterwards was just dull by comparison.

Or maybe she was just romanticizing everything in her head about that night? She had snoozed through a lot of it. And she did spend the rest of that time feeling awkward and slightly uncomfortable. That guy was pretty rude as well.

But he was also mysterious, exciting, charming. He was a _hunter_. The notion of hunters was so foreign and fascinating to her, that actually meeting a real one made her heart buzz with excitement. She had heard so many stories about hunters and their strength, bravery, and daring. To her they were legend and to have one in her presence- while he was on a job no less- felt like being part of the legend herself.

She was disappointed that she was never going to see him again. Oh well, she belonged in the real world. In college classes. Which she should really start paying attention to-

"Damn this guy is boring." The guy sitting next to her said.

Hannah looked to her right and nearly had a heart attack. It was _him_. He was just sitting there like it was nothing, leaning back casually in his chair, wearing a plain white t-shirt that matched the color of his perfectly unorderly hair.

Thankfully, she didn't squeal in shock, but she couldn't help but let her mouth fall open in disbelief. It was the boy from the library.

"What- I- you- how… Have you been there the whole time?" She hissed at him in a whisper, stuttering wildly, unable to find the right question to ask.

He didn't answer. He just smirked that smirk of his.

Hannah felt a little flutter in her stomach. She thought she was never going to see than smirk again, but here it was sitting right in front of her as if it came straight out of a dream. Not that she dreamt about him… she definitely hadn't dreamt about him.

"I thought you weren't a student." She said instead.

"I'm not."

"Then why are you here?" She didn't want to come off so giddy, but she couldn't seem to get rid of the smile plastered onto her face.

"I came to see you." He said. His voice was pure silk. Hannah's heart dropped to the floor.

"Seriously?" She was so surprised she forgot to keep her voice down to a whisper. The professor glared in her direction.

"Anything you wish to add to the discussion?" He asked grouchily.

Hannah shook her head viciously, not uttering a word. She felt her skin burn with heat as a hundred heads turned to look in her direction. The white haired boy was one of them. The only difference was that he looked about ready to burst out in laughter.

The professor continued on with his lecture, and Hannah shot her most vicious glare at the boy. The amusement in his ocean blue eyes only increased. She really needed to work on her evil glare.

Hannah didn't dare utter another word for the rest of class and instead chose to be a diligent student, scribbling down notes over every single tangent her professor wondered off on. The whole time she felt the heat of the boy's stare on her as she bent over her notebook, trying her best not to look at him.

When 8:50 finally rolled around, class was dismissed and she began to gather up her things. The boy, who had brought nothing but himself to the class stood up with his hands in his pockets.

"So are you always such a delinquent in class?" He asked. Okay at first Hannah thought that his smirk was somewhat endearing but now it was becoming downright annoying.

"Not before you came along." She replied. It was interesting talking to him. He was always so rude that it gave her an excuse to be rude as well. She wasn't used to the feeling. It was freeing.

"You're blaming this on me?"

"Of course I am!" She responded. They walked out of the lecture hall side by side. "Why the heck are you in my O Chem class? And how did you sneak in without me noticing?"

"I'm just that good."

"And my first question?"

"I already told you. I wanted to see you."

"Yeah, but _why_?"

Outside of the building, they stopped beneath the overhang. He leaned against a red brick pillar.

"Do you really need an explanation for everything?"

"No not for everything." Hannah said. Her heart was beating rather fast. He was standing only about two feet away from her. Standing at 5' 8'', Hannah was fairly tall for a girl. But standing in front of him made her feel short. And vulnerable. And antsy. And nervous. And strangely chatty. "I don't need an explanation for when gas prices go up, or when the sun rises in the east, or when the stock market falls a couple points, but I definitely need an explanation for when a hunter keeps me in a library all night, refuses to give me his name and then shows up in my college class the next Monday! And that reminds me, by the way, how did you know when and where my class was? That information is confidential."

"Nothing is confidential to a hunter." He said after listening patiently to her rambling. Hannah took a deep breath to steady herself.

"Alright so am I getting this explanation or not?"

"Go on a date with me." He said smoothly, without missing a beat.

"What?" Hannah blurted out immediately. That was just a knee-jerk reaction. Her cheeks instantly flushed red and her heart sped up. Was he being serious? He couldn't be, could he? Oh, she wished she had replied with something much cooler… At least she wasn't rambling again.

"Go on a date with me." He said again much slower this time, adding a smirk for good measure.

"I um… Isn't that usually supposed to be phrased as a question?" Hannah asked. Her eyes desperately searched his expression for any sign that he was just playing a joke on her. But all she saw was a handsome face. Damn.

"Yes. But I'm not asking."

Hannah's mind was on overdrive. She was starting to think that maybe he wasn't just kidding around. Was it possible that he tracked her down just to ask her out on a date? Was that sweet or stalkerish? Her mind said stalkerish, but the flaky teenage girl inside of her said that it was sweet. A date. Could she even imagine a date with him? Going to dinner. Maybe a movie. He'd walk her home. Kiss her goodnight.

Oh. My. God. The thought of him kissing her sent both a jolt of fear and excitement coursing through her veins. But it was mostly fear. Definitely fear. It was much too early in the morning for all of this.

"I'll pick you up at nine. Tonight."

 _TONIGHT?!_ Hannah screamed in her head. That was much too fast. This was all happening way too fast.

"But I didn't even say yes!"

"You didn't need to."

"Yes I do!" She protested. "I mean, no I don't! I mean- Ugh. My answer is no. I'm sorry but no!"

"I'll pick you up at nine." He repeated, completely unfazed by her rejection. In fact he smiled like she had already said yes.

"But-"

Suddenly he grabbed her hand, causing every muscle in her body to tense. His hands were warmer than they had been that night in the library. Pulling a marker out of his pocket, he scribble nine digits onto the back of her hand. His handwriting was tidy and neat, perfectly symmetrical except for a stylistic flare. He had given her his number.

"Text me your address so I know where to pick you up." He said. His voice was firm, leaving no room for debate. "See you tonight."

With that, he gave her one final smile and then strolled away, hands shoved into his pockets as usual. Even though he wasn't so close to her anymore, Hannah's heart rate refused to relent.

She looked at her hand one more time and then realized that his phone number wasn't the only thing he had written on her hand. There was also a single word.

 _Killua._

Hannah smiled. His name was Killua. She sighed.

She was going on a date tonight.

XXX

There was a brief knock on her bedroom door before it suddenly flew open.

"Hey, Hannah, can I borrow your laundry detergent? Mine ran out and-" Viola, Hannah's roommate, burst into her room speaking as loudly as ever, but quickly stopped dead in her tracks. "Damn, girl! You're looking _fine_!"

"Thanks." Hannah giggled, appreciating the compliment. She deserved it after spending the past hour and a half trying on nearly every outfit in her closet and twisting her hair into every hair style known to woman, testing different combinations until she finally landed on her current look. Deciding to keep it simple but fashionable (hopefully), she was wearing dark skinny jeans, a rust-colored blouse and tan booties with a small heel that would hopefully make her feel a tad more confident on her date. After weaving her bangs back into a small braid, she bobby-pinned them to the side and let her honey-brown hair fall in loose waves down to her shoulder blades. She had to find the right balance between looking like she was trying too hard and trying not hard enough. Being a girl was hard.

"So what's the occasion? You going out tonight?" Viola asked with a cheeky wink. Viola was your typical sorority girl: outgoing and flaky, but a reliable friend nevertheless. And beautiful too. Her chocolaty hair was long and silky while her face looked like it came straight out of an editorial. With those sparkling green eyes, she was a total knock out. Always had hordes of guys falling all over her. To her, dates were no big deal, but for Hannah, it was an entirely different story.

"I have a date." Hannah said nervously, waiting for the inevitable reaction.

Viola's entire face lit up like Christmas and she clapped her hands together in glee.

"OMG this is amazing!" She squealed. She was jumping up and down. Literally. She popped her head out of Hannah's bedroom door and shouted down the hallway. "Becca, guess what? Hannah has a date tonight!"

The third and final resident of the apartment immediately burst out of her room and sprinted down the hallway in a hurry. Becca had an adorable blonde bob and stood at a petite 5' 3''. Her face was lit up in a similar joy as she burst into Hannah's room as well.

"Hannah, you have a date?!" Becca said. "Wow, you look so pretty! He's not going to be able to take his eyes off of you."

Hannah laughed and soothed down her hair because it was only thing she knew to do in the situation.

"Gosh, guys, you don't have to sound so surprised that I have a date."

"But you never go out with any guys!" Viola said. "You could get a boyfriend easy, but for reasons I will never understand, you don't."

"This guy must be special." Becca said eagerly, blue eyes practically begging for a story.

"He's really not." Hannah said, more to assure herself than her roommates. "It's just a casual thing. Not a big deal."

"Oh my gosh, Becca, you see that? She's blushing." Viola said, elbowing Becca a little in good humor. "Even just thinking about him makes her blush. How adorable."

"Oh, leave her alone!" Becca said. "I'm sure she's just nervous."

"You got that right." Hannah said, her tone the epitome of nervous.

"Well, don't be." Becca said encouragingly. "You have nothing to be afraid of. Just go out and have fun."

"And if you bring him back to your bedroom, make sure you two aren't too loud. The walls are thin and I have some studying to get done tonight." Viola said with a highly suggestive wink.

"Viola!" Hannah and Becca both said at once. They all laughed a little, but it was Hannah who returned the conversation to seriousness.

"But for real. There is no way I'm bringing him back to the apartment." She clarified.

"Oh all right, but you have to at least kiss him."

"She doesn't have to." Becca chimed in. Hannah was very grateful for her blonde roommate in that moment. She didn't know what she would do if she didn't have Becca's warm understanding to temper Viola's outspoken energy. Together, they made for better roommates than she could ever ask for. She only wished that they felt more like her _friends_ rather than just her _roommates_ …

"Thank you." Hannah said as she grabbed her tan cross-body purse from her desk chair, making sure that her wallet was inside.

Then a knock was heard on the front door.

"That must be him!" Viola said in excitement. Like a hyperactive bunny, she bounced up first and rushed to the door, Hannah and Becca not too far behind.

The feisty brunette opened the door to reveal Killua standing behind it.

 _Killua._ Hannah thought. It was oddly gratifying to see him and know his name at the same time. At first she thought it was a rather odd name, but now that she saw it connected to the person, it somehow fit perfectly.

To her surprise, Killua had changed out of the white T-Shirt he was wearing this morning. Instead he sported a black button down shirt that was rolled up to his elbows. The top couple buttons were undone.

Damn.

And apparently Viola was thinking the same thing because the moment after she chirped a friendly greeting she whirled around and mouthed the words 'oh my god he is so hot' to Hannah. She let out a little giggle that didn't go unnoticed by the white-haired hunter.

"Hi." Killua said. Hannah was impressed. She was flanked by two girls who were both much prettier than she was, but he only looked at her. It was a nice feeling.

"Hi." Hannah replied. For a moment, she realized that she was being awkward, but then Killua saved her with his easy heart-melting smile.

"You ready to go?"

"Sure." Hannah said and walked towards the door to join her date. She waved at her two roommates. "See you later!"

"Have so much fun!" Viola said. Her hands were clasped over her chest, gazing warmly at Hannah as though she was a mentor whose pupil had finally graduated.

"Be safe." Becca added, forever playing the role of the mother.

Killua nodded respectfully at both of them and led Hannah out the door, closing it behind them. Almost immediately he reached for her hand and held it in his, sending a tingly sensation up her forearm that wasn't altogether bad. She couldn't believe that they were already holding hands. She had spent a considerable amount of time worrying about whether or not they should, when they would, or if she should try to intertwine their fingers. He chose to keep their fingers separate. Wise choice. Hannah was freaking out enough as it were.

"So how was the rest of your day?" Hannah asked, feeling a need to fill the silence as they walked down the stairs.

"That's a stupid ritual."

"What?" Hannah asked, taken aback.

"The way people insist on asking each other how they are doing, or how their day was. It's idiotic. No one really expects to hear any answer other than 'good'."

"It's the polite thing to do. Social expectations and all that." Hannah couldn't find the right way to explain it. It was like trying to explain the color red to someone. You just can't; it's supposed to be common knowledge.

"Fine if you insist. My day was good. How was yours?"

Hannah couldn't think of anything else to say but, "Good".

"Good." Killua said with a twitch of his lips. "Happy now?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"Alright, now you are killing the conversation on purpose."

"What conversation? I thought we were only fulfilling social expectations."

"Do you always act like this on first dates?" Hannah asked suddenly. She was slowly growing used to the feeling of her hand settled in his. It felt nice. Gave her a little extra pep in her step that helped her fight back with a few unhelpful comments of her own. "Maybe that's why you don't get many second ones."

He smiled. He clearly wasn't insulted in the slightest in her comment.

"I don't go on many first dates either." He told her.

His eyes did the craziest things to her. They were always so bold and intense but somehow managed to stay calm as the surface of the ocean on a windless day. She felt so exposed beneath their gaze. But it was a good kind of exposure. Like she was standing on the edge of a cliff, playing with the possibility of falling.

"I don't believe that." She said quietly, not able to tear her eyes away from his. Her first impression of him was that he was a player. Maybe she had misjudged? After working in a library, she of all people should know better than to judge a book by its cover. You had to flip through a few pages before you knew for sure.

"It's the truth. I never find the time for it."

They exited the apartment building and stepped out into the cool night air together. Killua grabbed his car keys out of his pockets and clicked the button. Hannah's eyes went directly to the sleek black car parked along the curb in front of the apartment complex. Now, Hannah knew next to nothing about cars, but she knew enough to know when a car probably cost more than her college tuition. The car was sporty, edgy, and pure luxury with a shiny black exterior and every other accessory sports cars had.

"I can see why you don't have time for dating." Hannah said blankly, flipping her stare back and forth between Killua and his car. "You must spend all of your time working as a hunter. Making a whole bunch of money. More than a whole bunch."

"Correct." He released her hand, strode over to his car and help open the passenger seat door for her.

"Thanks." She mumbled softly, climbing into the car, becoming nervous all over again. She knew hunters were normally well off, but Killua had to be completely loaded. She was a poor college student who lived off TV dinners and pizza. She suddenly wondered where they were even going on this date. She had originally thought that they would just do something simple and college-like, but Killua was definitely not a college boy. What if he was taking her to some exclusive downtown club? Or a five star restaurant that she would be obscenely underdressed for? Her heart started to pump faster as the smell of fresh leather filled her nose once she settled into the shot gun seat.

Swiftly, Killua took his place behind the wheel next to her and flashed her an encouraging smile.

If only Hannah knew where he was actually planning on taking her. Then she would _really_ be nervous.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **And there you go! Another chapter down in the story. This one was fairly short and was mostly for set up, but its all going to be worth it because the next chapter will be Killua and Hannah's "first date"! I only put the quotation marks around the words "first date" because something has me thinking that Killua's intentions aren't entirely innocent.**

 **Stay tuned to find out! Since this chapter felt shorter I'll have the next one up before the week ends:)**

 **I appreciate all of you guys so much,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter**


	5. Chapter 5: Date Night

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART ONE-**_

Chapter 5

Date Night

It was easy. Way too easy. It was so obscenely easy that Killua was beginning to feel more like a murderer than an assassin. Come to think of it, was there even a difference? He used to believe so. But now he wasn't so sure.

He didn't have time to contemplate that. All he could think about was the blushing, smiling girl beside him who was about to meet a very early death at his hands. She was so fragile. So delicate. So _weak._ It would be more difficult to kill a rabbit. At least _they_ usually realized when they were being hunted.

His plan was simple. There was no date and there was never going to be any date. They both were all dressed up and had nowhere to go besides a one way trip to their respective deaths. The girl's would come any second now. He'd kill her quickly by snapping her neck. That way he wouldn't get blood on his car's leather seats. It was a rental. Then he would take her body to the rendezvous point with the client, the same man who Killua was certain killed Gon. And then Killua would attack him and do everything in his power to kill him. He had been training relentlessly over the past six months. He was stronger now. But was he strong enough? The answer was probably no. That was why Killua would most likely die tonight as well.

Either outcome was fine with him. In fact, death might not be such a bad alternative to the unlikely scenario where he actually managed to kill the Man in the Metal Mask. The question of what the hell he would do next if he actually succeeded was something he didn't care to consider. But still, nothing would stop him from going all out in the fight. No matter what happened to him, he wanted more than anything to kill the man who killed his best friend.

The only problem was _her_. Why was she still alive? The plan was to kill her quickly almost the instant she got into the car. But he didn't. He hesitated and then she started chatting again…

"So how is your hunter-job thingy going?" She asked brightly. Everything about her was always so goddamn bright. "Did you find what you're looking for?"

"Hunter-job?" He responded blandly with an eyebrow raised, angry that he found some humor in her word choice. She instantly flushed and piped up to defend herself.

"Well I don't know what to call it! Is this thing you're doing called a mission? A quest? A hunt? I don't want to get caught up in semantics, but the proper term would be useful in a conversation."

His response rolled far too easily off his tongue. "If you're just trying to list synonyms you forgot "search" and "voyage"."

She smirked at the challenge and responded with a teasing voice. "And you failed to mention "expedition"."

"Trek." He shot back. For some reason- whether it be arrogance or carelessness- he felt the strangest desire to play along.

"Exploration."

Crusade."

"Adventure."

Killua let out a genuine laugh at that one.

"Seriously? You think we would call a job, "going on an adventure"?"

Hannah laughed too. "Of course not, but- hey! So it is called a job! I wasn't too far off."

"It's not really called anything." Killua told her. "Hunters are free to do their own thing or work for someone else. We aren't beholden to anyone. We do what we want and call it what we want."

"That sounds pretty cool. To have that much freedom." She sighed dreamily and looked out the window. Killua could see her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were so big and innocent. Naïve.

"Sometimes freedom isn't all it's cracked up to be." He said, surprising himself by the statement. He had known freedom for six brief years. They ended in Gon's death. Flashes of his friend's broken lifeless body shook his mind. A familiar rage rose up again with the images. The desire to kill. But at the moment all of his killing intent was focused somewhere outside of his car's sleek leather interior…

What the hell was he doing? Talking to her? He even was inches away from speaking about his _feelings_. What the hell was wrong with him? Why wasn't he killing her? It'd be so easy. He could do it before she would even realize what was happening-

"I know what you mean." She said, turning back her gaze to look at him. He was immediately swallowed up by their colorful mixture of brilliant green and sunny brown. The perfect shade of hazel.

"You do?" His lips moved without his permission.

"Kind of." She said, tightening her shoulders, showing that she was becoming slightly uncomfortable. "I mean, that's what they say about college. They talk about all the freedom you have. How it's the best time of your life. But… it isn't always as great as it's made out to be."

He smiled a bit at her words. She was opening up to him. Damn that was not good. He could not afford to become attached to her. That would just make his job so much more difficult. He quickly thought up a scathing remark to throw back at her- maybe if he could make her hate him, she would be easier to kill.

But then her eyes stopped him from saying anything. They were braced, nervous for his reaction. She wasn't sure of herself… Why was he looking into her eyes so much? He quickly broke away and stared at the road, refusing to respond at all.

"Yeah, sorry, I guess that was kind of a stupid thing to say." She mumbled softly.

They way that she had no idea what was going on killed him. How ironic. And then once again, Killua's lips moved without his permission. He even failed to keep his brief vow of silence for more than four seconds. His voice could only be described as bittersweet. Tough but gentle.

"It's not stupid. Having freedom means living in the real world. And getting everything that comes with it."

"Yeah." She said, clearly relieved that he understood what she was saying.

"However, I'd also argue that your college situation isn't quite the real world. Mistakes don't mean the end of the line. You have a nice built in safety net."

Hannah's cheeks reddened a little and she nervously played with a strand of her hair by twirling it around her finger.

"True." She admitted. "I do have a tendency to lose perspective."

He smiled. Gon had the same problem. It must run in the family.

For the first time that night, Killua fully realized that he was talking to Gon's sister. His sister. He knew the fact beforehand, of course, but it didn't quite click until now. What other similarities did they have? What differences were there between them? He knew for sure that one of those differences was confidence. Gon oozed unwavering belief in himself, but this girl had some major self-doubt issues. Seriously. Why did she keep messing with her hair and resituating it around her shoulders? It was already perfect in every way possible but she was so self-conscious about it.

But at the same time their noses were pretty much identical. And they both had ridiculously massive eyes. And perhaps they shared the same optimistic outlook on life. Before tonight he would have easily claimed that Hannah was as optimistic and earnest as Gon, but then there was her little comment about college not being "all it's cracked up to be". There was sadness in her eyes when she said that. He was curious why.

He was so curious about her. Maybe that was the reason he didn't want to kill her just yet? Comfortable with this explanation, he sought to satisfy his curiosity.

"Tell me about your family."

It was nice to not have to cover up the question with any motive. It was a first date. Questions like this were normal and apparently the girl thought so too because she smiled and was relieved to move onto a new subject.

"There's not too much to tell. Everything's pretty normal. One mom one dad. No siblings, but that's okay. My parents are the best."

Killua nodded. She must not know that she's adopted. Judging from the fact that she had no other siblings, her adoptive parents most likely couldn't conceive so they adopted a child instead. They wanted her to be their own. But that still left the question of why the girl's biological mother gave her up. Ging's book didn't say anything about that. Nor did it explain why the twins were separated in the first place.

"Alright so what about your family?" Hannah surprised him by returning his question. He scoffed.

"Yeah, I'm definitely not talking about my family."

"Why not?"

"Trust me. You really don't want to know."

"Bad relationship with your parents?" She guessed with a raised eyebrow.

He thought about all the times he'd been electrocuted, tortured, and stabbed by his various family members. "Bad relationship" was the understatement of the century. But, in his family's defense, he did stab back.

"You have no idea."

"I guess I don't." She frowned slightly. Killua sighed. He didn't like it when she frowned.

"Let me put it this way. Your family is small, happy, and is filled with what I'm sure is a lot of love. Just think of the exact opposite of that and you'll have a pretty good picture of what mine is like."

A little happier with this new morsel of information, the girl nodded and thought carefully for a moment.

"So you have a lot of siblings." She said, smiling victoriously. Killua raised an eyebrow. She continued with that giddy look on her face. "You said that my family is small and yours is the opposite. That means you have a lot of siblings."

"Very astute." He said blandly. "But you're not getting any more out of me on the subject."

To his surprise, she didn't try.

"Thanks for sharing." She said instead with a content look on her face.

Killua tried not to contemplate that for too long. He moved onto his next point of curiosity. Gon was the spitting image of physicality and athleticism. He wondered if she was the same. More than that, he was curious if she was capable of becoming a nen user like her father and brother.

"Play any sports?" He asked.

"I did a little in high school." She replied. "I played basketball for a while, and then later switched to track. But neither really stuck."

"Why?"

"Well for one I was horrible at basketball. I have zero coordination. The only part I was good at was the running, so my coach suggested I start running track. But that was just so boring I gave it up." Killua didn't fail to notice how her voice was loud and clear when she spoke negatively of herself, but sped up and softened when she dealt herself a compliment. She then blushed softly and started playing with her hair again. "And besides. Sports were never my passion. I like to draw."

Killua raised an eyebrow, prompting her to keep talking.

"Ever since I was little, I always loved coloring and crafts. As I got older I took some art classes and started to do sketches. They aren't bad and it's pretty fun."

"If you say they aren't bad, then they must be incredible." Killua said, not sure why he felt the need to give her a compliment. Maybe her self-doubt was so frustrating to him that he needed to do something to pick her head up a little. It worked. She brightened considerably at his comment.

Sometimes nen can manifest in talented artists, making their creations even more spectacular. He wondered if the same was true for her. With her heritage, he wouldn't be surprised.

"Then why aren't you an art major?" He asked, thinking about the meticulous Organic Chemistry class he sat next to her in this morning. She answered the legitimate question like it was a no brainer.

"Cause that's just not practical. I can't make a living being an artist. I can't waste my education on a hobby."

Killua shrugged. "Fair enough."

She was definitely a very different person from Gon, but at the same time Killua couldn't help but see all sorts of things in her than reminded him of his best friend. The more he talked to her the more he realized what was happening. Or rather what wasn't happening.

No more lying to himself. He couldn't kill her.

It was insane. He was supposed to be an assassin. He was supposed to not care in the slightest who he was supposed to kill so long as the job was completed. But this girl… this girl… Hannah forced him to break every rule in the book. And the first rule on the first page of that book was to avoid emotion at all costs. He failed miserably at that. He still had plenty of emotion locked up inside of him.

But that emotion was reserved for Gon. The only reason he couldn't kill her was because she was Gon's sister. He couldn't do that to his friend. He couldn't kill her. He could kill everyone else in his path, just not her. He would have to find some other way to kill the Man in the Metal Mask. But Hannah was of strictly limits in doing so.

He immediately felt better having made this decision. It was like a huge wait had been lifted off of his shoulders. He could breathe again.

"So where are we going anyway?" Hannah asked, jerking him back into reality.

 _Shit._ Killua thought _. Now I actually have to find some place to take her for our date_.

XXX

Hannah took another bite of her cheeseburger. The fatty meaty goodness made her taste buds squeal with joy and her stomach rumble with pleasure.

"Wow, this is actually really good." She said.

"Why the tone of surprise?" Killua said with amusement, sitting across from her in the shiny red booth.

"I just can't believe I've never heard of this place before. How'd you find it?"

"Luck."

Killua had taken her to this small out-of-the-way diner on the outskirts of York New City. With its flickering porch lights, stereotypical retro interior and scuffed up red booths, she had been skeptical of its quality, but all those doubts were washed away the moment her steaming burger and fries were placed on the table in front of her.

"Unless you want to have a heart attack, you might consider slowing down." He suggested mildly. She had been so busy gobbling down her food with supreme speed and intensity that she'd almost forgotten he was there. She blushed as she compared the states of their two plates. She had already burned through half of her burger and he had barely taken two bites of his. Suddenly self-conscious, she set down her burger and began to nibble on a fry instead.

"I tend to eat food fast when it's good."

"But then you can't enjoy it as much." He pointed out. He leaned back in his seat. Was he not hungry or something?

"That's what people say, but I don't think so."

He thought about it for a moment and then nodded. Almost like he was taking this conversation seriously. He may act jerkish sometimes, but he always did hear what she had to say. Well, except when she was telling him to vacate a library.

"Alright so should we get back into it, then?" Hannah asked, changing the subject. She took another huge bite of her burger.

"Back into what?"

"All the typical first date questions." She said, like it was obvious. "We already talked about families and I told you about how I like to draw, so it's your turn now. Got any hobbies?"

"Nope." He replied, cracking a smile.

"Oh come on. You have to have something you like to do."

"Nothing that comes to mind."

Hannah sighed. She couldn't tell if he was serious or if he just didn't want to answer.

"Alright then, why don't you tell me instead what kind of hunter you are?"

"I don't specialize."

"Because you can't make up your mind, or because you're just _that_ good?" Hannah teased, playing to his natural arrogance. He didn't disappoint.

"Do you even need to ask?" He replied easily with his ever present smirk.

"Eat more of your burger." Hannah demanded suddenly. "You're making me feel like a pig."

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes ma'am."

It was amazing how much more comfortable she already felt around him. Her body had relaxed considerably and her heart rate was back down to a normal pace. She was enjoying herself, enjoying his company. Even though he wasn't one to talk much, conversation flowed naturally and felt easy. His short, often one word answers forced her to talk more, get out of her shell, and it was a nice turn of events.

She thought briefly about what else she wanted to ask him. There were so many things, of course, but she had to consider what he would actually being willing to give answers to. And that was when a jolt of fear ran through her. She had no idea how old he was. He looked to be college-aged, but there was no way to be sure. He could be in his mid-twenties. Even scarier, he could be a 14 year old kid who went through puberty early!

"How old are you?" She blurted out.

"What a rude question to ask."

"It's only rude when you ask it to middle-aged women." She played it cool.

"I'm 19." He said simply.

She let out a massive breath of relief.

"Me too." She said with a smile. "Birthday?"

He hesitated before saying, "July 7th. You?"

"May 5th." She replied, smiling because that meant she was technically older than he was.

"Good to know."

"Alright, it's your turn." She said. When he didn't respond she added, "To ask a question."

"Careful what you wish for." His blue eyes were glinting with danger. Hannah gulped.

"Bring it on."

He leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table, staring at her with an overdramatic intensity that was clearly meant to simultaneously mock and fluster her. She sucked in a breath. It was working.

"What are you most afraid of?" He asked slowly, drawling out the words.

He wasn't joking about being careful what you wish for. Even though the unblinking color of his eyes was getting to her again, she was able to consider the question for a moment. Should she answer the question honestly? Or should she just say something stupid like snakes? She hated snakes, but her real biggest fear was something else entirely. For some reason she wanted to tell him the truth. And so she did, trying to play it off casually.

"Being lonely, I guess." She said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Why would you be lonely?" He asked intently.

"New rule." She said quickly. "No follow-ups."

"What kind of a rule is that?"

"Nope." She smirked. "It's my turn to ask a question. It's part of the game, remember?"

He gave her a look that clearly said, _no, I don't remember and I didn't agree to play any game._ However, he kept his mouth shut and waited for her to ask him a question. She grinned almost maniacally at his cooperation and then started to wonder what kind of question she should ask. She wanted to give him a tough one too. Something personal. Something that would make him a little less comfortable in that perfect skin of his. She looked straight at him with her best poker face.

"What do you think is the meaning of life?'

He scoffed. "You can't be serious."

"Answer the question." She said, loving this game very much.

"Fine." He replied evenly without missing a beat. "My answer is that there is no meaning. People live and people die. That's all there is to it."

"Do you really think that?" She asked, shocked. That was certainly not how she expected him to answer. Her eyes were round and sympathetic, but he shook it off with a laugh.

"No follow-ups." He said. "Your rule, not mine."

She prickled in frustration, but admitted defeat.

"Fair's fair. Your turn."

"What do you think is the meaning of life?" He returned the question to her without any hesitation.

Oh, he was good. He was just teasing her now. That devilish smirk. That look of mischief in his eyes. He wasn't taking any of this seriously.

"I don't know." She replied stubbornly. "But there definitely is _some_ meaning behind it."

"What a cop-out."

"Cop-outs are allowed. You do it all the time."

"Can't argue that."

"Okay, my turn." Hannah said, deciding to keep with the theme. "What do you think happens after we die?"

He genuinely looked surprised. He hummed.

"Never really thought about it."

"Seriously?"

"Seems a little morbid." He answered with a wink.

"Not if you believe in heaven."

"Well I think we've already established that I don't."

"Why not?" She asked. "I mean, I couldn't care less about someone's religion or lack-there-of, but I'm just curious."

Even though it wasn't her turn to ask another question, he answered it anyway. The only problem was that he used another question to do it. His voice was slow and even.

"What's the point of believing in heaven if there's no place for you in it?"

It took her a while to process what he was saying. He believed that he wouldn't be able to go to heaven. But why? Did he have a dark past? Has he done something that he considered to be completely unforgivable?

"What makes you say that?"

He smiled and merely shook his head. "No way. You've already gotten more than your fair share of questions. It's my turn again."

She smiled and nodded. They were getting into pretty personal territory anyway. She didn't blame him for not wanting to spill everything about his life out to her. And so, they switched back to happier topics, laughing and teasing each other as they finished their meals.

As they talked and hung out, Hannah was now sure of what she had noticed earlier. Killua did a pretty good job of covering it up with his easy going smirk and bad boy attitude, but it was definitely there. The sadness that hid behind the pretty blue of his eyes.

Hannah wanted more than anything to find out where it came from.

XXX

Later that night Killua walked Hannah all the way up to the front door of her apartment on the fifth floor of the building. They stopped outside and hovered around each other for an awkward moment. Or maybe it was just Hannah that was being awkward. The tall silver haired teen was relaxed as ever with his hands deep in his pockets. She wondered if he was even capable of feeling awkward.

"Thanks for tonight." She said. "I had fun."

"You don't have to thank me." He said, shaking his head.

"Well," Hannah shrugged with a playful smile. "Social expectations. Whatcha' gonna do?"

He smiled back at her, subconsciously taking a step closer. He wasn't taking his eyes off of hers.

"I had a good time too."

It wasn't until then Hannah noticed how close he was getting to her. Her heart thudded heavily with anticipation. Without giving her body permission, she took a tiny step towards him as well.

"Are you being serious or are you just being polite?"

"I don't do polite." He said, although the way he said the words made her think he wasn't talking to her anymore. His eyes were narrowed and slightly dazed. He took a lose strand of her hair and tucked it behind her hair, leaving his hand to hover on the side of her face. His thumb brushed gently across her cheekbone. His motions were curious full of wonder. Hannah ached in anticipation, but she didn't dare move, fearing she may break the moment.

His face was so close to hers. So close that she could see a silvery paper-thin scar on his cheek. She parted her lips slightly, looking at his briefly before returning to those eyes, wondering what he was going to do next.

He abruptly pulled away from her. A gigantic wave of disappointment crashed over her like a ton of bricks. Her face fell and mouth formed a small frown. She was so sure something was going to happen. Killua, however, pretended as though nothing had happened at all.

"Goodnight." He said sharply and turned to walk away.

He had already turned around the corner before Hannah had a chance to whisper, "Goodnight."

She sighed, figuring she shouldn't have expected any different. They had fun together, of that she was certain, but Killua had openly told her that he didn't date much. If he wasn't interested in any second date, it was probably best that he didn't kiss her. But still.

She couldn't help but wish that he had.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hiya! Happy Fourth of July to my fellow Americans! And to all my other wonderful readers, I hope you had a memorable day as well. I had planned to get this chapter up yesterday, but it was pretty jam-packed and by the time I got around to my laptop at night I was too sleepy to properly edit the chapter. I did so fully coherently today and I definitely think the few changes I made were worth it.**

 **I'm not going to waste too much more time writing an author's note because I have barbecue to eat and fireworks to watch!**

 **Thanks to all of you who favorite, follow, and especially those of you who take the time to write wonderful reviews. It means the world to me,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **PLOT TWIST: I still don't own Hunter x Hunter**


	6. Chapter 6: Aftermath

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART ONE-  
**_

Chapter 6

Aftermath

Killua was reeling.

The sky was pitch black and the streets were dim. With predatory stillness and lethal balance, the white-haired assassin knelt on the edge of a tall building rooftop located in the lower west side of York New City. He watched carefully as late-night stragglers stumbled along the sidewalks below him, drunkenly waving down taxis or steering a date back to their grungy apartments. He scanned each person momentarily and then shook his head. He needed to be patient.

As he waited, he relentlessly scorned and cursed himself within the silent confines of his mind- a stark juxtaposition to his steely exterior. This was the first time he failed to follow through on an assassination mission. If his target was to kill, he never missed. Ever. Until now. Until _she_ came along. And that made him angry.

His dark eyes were glazed over with calculated rage and his fists were clenched tight with determination. Even though he failed to kill Hannah, he was by no means soft. Just because he decided to spare her life, didn't mean that he was letting go of his plot for revenge. He was still going to accomplish his ultimate goal; he only needed to go about it in a different direction.

And then he saw what he was waiting for. A perfect target.

A young lady, probably in her late teens or early twenties walked down the city street dressed up in a tight black dress and was accompanied by a man around the same age. He was a tall and skinny thing. The girl was definitely out of his league. And judging from the bored expression on said girl's face, she was thinking the same thing. Killua smiled in amusement. He would have preferred for her to be alone, but this would have to do. The spare would be dealt with easily enough.

Without warning, the assassin leaped off the side of the building, falling feet first through the air, sharpening his nails, turning them into claws sharper than knives. Landing gracefully and soundlessly on the pavement behind the couple, Killua made his next few moves in one quick and fluid motion. He thrust his arm through the guy's chest and then sliced the girl's neck. Both were dead before they could make a single sound. He grabbed both bodies and pulled them into a nearby alleyway, disappearing into the shadows like a ghost. After tossing the man's body into a dumpster, he threw the dead girl over his shoulder and climbed up to the top of the building once more. Killua was pleased he had the foresight to wear a black shirt tonight- blood was seeping from the girl's severed neck and would have irreparably stained the white shirt he had been wearing earlier in the morning. He jumped across a few more rooftops until he descended to a particularly shadowy part of town where his car was parked and the security cameras were destroyed. Placing the corpse in the trunk, he got back in the driver's seat and cruised away like he was out for a Sunday drive.

The satisfaction of finally getting something done did wonders to Killua's temper. However, his festering hatred for the Man in the Metal Mask did not relent. In fact it only grew wider and wider as Killua drove towards the site of their reunion.

The client- whom he was certain was the masked man- would show himself if Killua brought the target's body to the rendezvous site. That was the contract he had with the Zoldycks. Killua had originally planned to find and kill Hannah like he was supposed to, bringing her body to the agreed upon location. But that was no longer an option. He had to improvise. At the end of the day he didn't give a damn about his family or their business. He only wanted a shot at killing the man who killed his best friend.

Since the client outsourced the task of identifying and killing his target to the Zoldyck family, it was safe to assume that he didn't know what Gon's sister _actually_ looked like or where he could find her. That meant no matter what youthful female corpse Killua brought with him, the Man in the Metal Mask would show himself. After that, it didn't matter if he would be able to confirm or deny the girl's identity. The client would be within striking distance.

And then Killua would kill him too.

XXX

The rendezvous point was a cemetery. Under any other circumstances Killua would have allowed himself a small chuckle, but tonight he was all business. Carrying the dead girl's body over his right shoulder, Killua's mouth was hardened into a straight line and his eyes remained focused straight ahead. However, that didn't stop his senses from being cast throughout the entire cemetery, searching for any sign of presence or aura from the Man in the Metal Mask.

Despite this, he didn't sense anyone. He didn't expect to. That man was too good.

Killua continued to make his way through the rows of gravestones, stepping carefully through the spongy green turf as he traveled up a shallow slope. The cemetery was situated on a hilltop, making the dazzling beams of moonlight seem all the brighter, lighting Killua's hair up in an unappreciated silvery sheen.

Having made his wat to the very center of the graveyard, Killua shrugged the body off of his shoulder and allowed it to fall to the ground with a heavy _thud_. He put his hands in his pockets and waited.

Several long, lofty minutes passed by before Killua saw a shadow appear in the distance. As it approached closer, the details of the shape became apparent. Broad shoulders. Dark cloak. Metal mask. Killua's emotions- anger, determination, killing intent- spiked, but he didn't show any of it on his face, remaining as cool and collected as ever. He knew that he had to use the element of surprise if he was going to achieve his goal.

It quickly became evident that the Man recognized Killua from their encounter six months prior. The nineteen year old wondered if his opponent was smiling or frowning under that mask of his.

"I never would have dreamed that you were a Zoldyck." The Man in the Metal Mask said, his electronically altered voice rumbling with something that seemed like laughter in the back of this throat. He was definitely grinning. "Much less the Zoldyck selected to fulfill my request."

"Consider the surprise mutual." Killua spoke the lie with practiced ease. This was the first time the pair had met since that day. The Man in the Metal Mask should be surprised to see him. And he should be under the impression that Killua would be equally surprised to see _him_. The assassin felt confident with this advantage.

"For the sake of professionalism, I will." The Man said.

Killua narrowed his eyes, not at all pleased and slightly thrown off by the comment. What did he mean? Was it possible that the Man knew more than Killua thought he did? If so, surprise wasn't going to do him much good.

Slowly and deliberately, the Man in the Metal Mask walked towards Killua and the body he had discarded on the ground. The client bent down next to her, grabbed the girl by her hair and pulled it so that he could see her face. He hummed softly.

"So I was right. The book did lead to Ging's other child."

Killua remained silent.

"Where did you find it?" The Man said. He didn't seem too invested in knowing the answer; his hands were busy stroking the cheek of the dead girl, still closely inspecting her face.

Killua knew he needed to make his move soon. The fake wasn't going to fool him for long.

Without so much as even a warning breath, Killua transmuted all his aura into lighting, igniting his entire body in an electrified blue static that shocked his hair into lightning bolts and zapped his muscles into overdrive. Godspeed. The very next moment he jabbed a lightning soaked claw directly at the Man's neck, aiming to slice his head right off. The Man wasn't fast enough to dodge but his skin was too solid to be pierced by the attack. Killua's hand crashed into what felt like an iron wall, splitting the skin of his knuckles open. His own blood splattered everywhere. Some of it landed on the Man's mask, decorating the dull gray with bright splashes of crimson. The Man's body was, however, thrown back several feet from the impact.

Encouraged by the already visible improvement from the last time they fought, Killua didn't relent. He continued his assault, throwing lightning bolts, fists, and every other move in the book at the Man. Killua's eyes bulged with rage and his teeth were clamped together in fury. He threw all of his wrath and power at the Man, holding nothing back.

Killua was far faster, but his attacks weren't dealing nearly enough damage.

"Fascinating. What improvement." The Man in the Metal Mask said, taking a well-aimed punch to his jaw.

Killua didn't respond. He grabbed the Man's neck with both hands, strangling him as he sent massive currents of electricity through the Man's body. Killua's heart pounded with pleasure as he heard the Man scream in pain.

However, the Man managed to maintain enough composure to punch the boy in the gut, releasing his grip and sending him flying backwards a few meters. The blow hurt, but wasn't anything serious. Breathing hard, Killua stood up and examined his opponent. The Man was injured, breathing heavily and clutching his shoulder in pain.

But it was clear there was still a lot of work to be done.

"Color me impressed." The Man said, cracking his neck with two sudden jerks of his head. Killua was certain that whoever this bastard was, he was enjoying this. Enjoying the challenge. It pissed him off to no end. "You've become stronger since I killed your friend. I assume you're seeking revenge?"

"I prefer to think of it as justice." Killua replied, stone cold and unwavering. Electricity crackled around him in jagged spider webs of thunderous blue. He searched his opponent for openings to exploit and scanned through his recent memory of the fight to deduce any weaknesses this guy may have.

"Interesting." The Man said. "I tell myself the same thing."

Killua's eyes flared with hatred, a pure unadulterated killing intent.

"Murdering Gon wasn't justice. Killing you is."

Killua bolted towards the Man at Godspeed, but the Man in the Metal Mask did not make any attempt to move, counter or dodge.

"I never dreamed I would have to use my Hatsu on a kid like you." He said softly.

The Man took off the thick black gloves that had been covering his hands. He pulled out a knife and sliced the flesh of his right palm quickly and then stored the knife back in the shadows of his black cloak. At the same time he used the fingers of his left hand to brush away some of the blood that was splattered across his gray metallic mask.

Just before Killua could attack, the Man slammed his two hands together, mixing the blood on both palms.

Killua froze.

It wasn't by choice. His mind was urging his body forward. Every inch of what remained of his soul wanted to attack the Man that murdered his best friend. He wanted to make him hurt. He wanted to make him pay.

But his body would not move. It was like he was frozen on the spot, centimeters away from his target, unable to do anything with all his rage.

And then, like some outside force was controlling his movements, his body straightened into a rigid upright standing position with his arms plastered against his sides. He lost the power of Godspeed and his aura vanished entirely, leaving him naked and vulnerable to his opponent.

His mind raced for possible explanations, but he came up blank. Whatever this guy was doing, it was Nen unlike any he'd ever seen before.

"Impressive, isn't it?" The Man said, hovering his shielded face directly in front of Killua's, enjoying the torment he was causing to the nineteen year old. "I control you now. I'm afraid you are unable to move even a single muscle."

The Man pulled out his knife once more and traced the blade along Killua's neck, dragging the weapon with just the right amount of pressure to leave a small trail of red from behind his ear all the way down to his collar bone. It didn't hurt him, but Killua couldn't have responded to the pain even if he wanted to. He couldn't open his mouth. He couldn't wince in pain. He couldn't even manage to blink his eyes.

It was all over. His death was rapidly approaching. He only wished that he'd be able to see Gon in the next life, but Killua was all too aware that he would be headed to a much different place.

To his surprise however, the Man didn't kill him instantly. Instead he sought answers.

"Now. Tell me _boy_ , why have you brought to me what is obviously a fake. Did you fail to bring me the real one because you couldn't find her, or because you just didn't want to?"

Suddenly, he was free and able to move all his body parts above his neck. The Man wanted him to talk. Killua spat some blood out of his mouth. It splattered on the Man's metal mask. Killua didn't say a word.

"Or maybe." The Man said, unperturbed by his refusal. "You did find the girl, but couldn't bring yourself to kill the sister of your _friend_."

The white haired assassin didn't twitch or respond to that statement in any way. He just continued to stare at what would soon be his death in the face, ready to leave this world forever.

"In any case, you did not accomplish the job I asked your family to complete. I will have no choice but to inform the other Zoldycks of your failure."

At that Killua couldn't help but drop his mouth open and burst out, "That's it? You're going to speak to my parents? I tried to _murder_ you. You should kill me."

Killua had lost all composure. His cool calculated tone had broken out into a messy yell, cracking and breaking with unfiltered emotion. It was all too much. He had come to this place tonight ready to fight to the death. He was prepared to die, but what he was not ready for was the prospect of this masked murderer showing him _mercy._ Killua didn't want it. Not from him, not from anyone.

"You aren't the one I seek to kill. I'm no murderer." The Man said.

"How dare you say that!" Killua roared, his voice splitting the night like a gunshot. "You killed Gon! You murdered an innocent!"

To Killua's fury the Man in the Metal Mask let out a small bout of laughter.

"What strange words to hear from the mouth of an assassin." He said with a grim irony and then punched Killua in the gut, dropping the young man to his knees in pain. Killua could move his body again, but everything inside of him hurt like hell. He didn't even know if he was capable of standing up. He looked up at the Man in the Metal Mask, a figure of darkness and power than towered over him like a merciful god. "Do not attempt to follow or track me down. Give up your vendetta against me or I will have no choice but to end your life as well."

With that the Man walked away into the night, leaving Killua writhing in more than one kind of pain on the cemetery ground behind him.

XXX

Hannah quickly finished breaking her banana apart into chunks and then dumped them into the blender. She gave the appliance a few quick pulses and her signature smoothie was complete- Peanut Butter and Banana. Filling one tall cup up with the icy mixture, Hannah was sure to save the rest of the smoothie in the blender for her roommates, covering and storing it in the fridge for their pleasure later.

Taking her smoothie and collapsing on the couch in front of the TV, Hannah checked her phone for about the millionth time that day. Nothing. She let out a sigh and took a sip out of her Doctor Seuss themed cup. It was late in the afternoon- she had just gotten home from class- and Killua had still not texted her since their date last night.

Was that normal? She wasn't sure what the protocol was for post-first-date texting. Did guys normally wait a few days? Or was it a bad sign that he hadn't reached out to her yet? She bit her lip anxiously. Maybe she should be the one to reach out first? It was modern times. It shouldn't be solely up to the guy to make all the moves. What was the harm in sending him a friendly text? It took her several additional long, agonizing moments to muster up the courage, but she finally managed it. She pressed the send button on her iPhone before she could chicken out.

 _Hey:) Thanks for last night. I had fun!_

A minute went by without a response. And then it was five minutes. Ten. Before she knew it, a half hour had passed and there was not a single reply to be found. She immediately regretted her mistake. Why did she feel the need to text him? It was too soon! And it was only one date. She was foolish to hope that there might be another in her future. He didn't even kiss her! She didn't know much about dating, but she was positive that no kiss was a bad sign.

She ran her fingers through her tangled light brown hair, pushing her bangs out of her eyes anxiously.

Why did her heart hurt so much already? She barely even knew this guy. She wasn't even sure that she liked him all that much or if she actually wanted to date him.

Alright well maybe some of that was a lie. She did know that she really wanted him to kiss her last night. And they did have some good conversation…

Her phone buzzed. Her heart skipped a beat and she clumsily grabbed for her phone. Her spirits fell when she saw that it was only a text from her mom.

 _Your father and I are redoing the kitchen floors. Which tile do you like better?_

Accompanied by the text were two pictures of barely distinguishable tile patterns.

 _The second one_

She typed back quickly and then turned her phone on silent. She was going to go mad constantly listening for her phone to vibrate.

Immediately after she heard a key unlocking the front door to her apartment.

It was Becca returning home for the day with a peppy smile to match her adorable skirt and blouse combo. Her makeup was impeccable and her bubbly blue eyes were as bright as the summer sky.

"Hey Han!" She chirped, closing the door behind her as she entered. She shrugged her pink backpack onto the floor and immediately headed for the kitchen.

"How's it going, Becs?" Hannah responded, immediately forcing what she hoped was a casual and easy going smile onto her face. Hopefully her roommate would forget to ask her about-

"Oh, fine." The blonde said. "But what I really want to know is how your date went last night."

Hannah's heart dropped.

"Um… it was fine I guess." She said, praying that no follow-up questions would be asked. Time to change the subject. "I left some smoothie in the fridge for you and Viola if you want some."

"OMG, you are the best! Thanks, this is just what I need."

"No problem."

Becca poured herself a glass and then sat down in the recliner adjacent to Hannah's spot on the couch.

"But you aren't getting off that easy. I need details."

"There's just not that much to say."

"Did you have fun?"

"Well, yeah-"

"Did he kiss you?"

"No."

Becca frowned a little bit at that and crossed her arms.

"Why? Did the date go badly?"

"No, it went fine. Or well, at least I thought it was going fine. He just didn't kiss me when he dropped me off."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Han." Becca's eyes were full of pity. This was exactly what Hannah feared would happen. Comforting and feeling sorry for people was just in Becca's DNA. She was always going to play the role of the mother.

"He hasn't texted me at all today either." Hannah continued. "There probably isn't going to be a second date."

"Well that's not unusual." Becca said. "A lot of guys don't want to come off too desperate or whipped, so they purposely wait a couple days to text a girl back. Brandon did that to me after our first date. He later told me that he wanted to ask me out again immediately but his friends told him that it was a bad idea. Guys are always trying to play it cool. Your guy might be doing the same thing."

"I don't know." Hannah felt slightly better after what Becca had said, but she still wasn't convinced. "Killua isn't the kind of guy to care about what anyone else thinks. But who knows what else is going on inside that head of his?"

"Ooh, a mysterious guy?" Becca asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He's definitely not an open book."

"He's hot."

"What?"

"Hannah, that guy was so hot it's ridiculous." Becca said eagerly, clearly fantasizing about the mysterious stranger who picked Hannah up last night. "V and I couldn't stop talking about it. I can't believe I've never noticed him around campus before."

"Well he doesn't go to our school." Hannah said, trying to change the subject so quickly that she didn't have time to realize that she just said something she probably should have left in the dark.

"He doesn't? What school? Or is he out of college? He didn't look that old but-"

"He's a hunter. He doesn't go to college."

"HE'S A HUNTER?!" Becca squealed, clapping her hands together in delight. "That makes him even hotter!"

The blush that had been growing on Hannah's face exploded into a full on rash of red. She definitely shouldn't have said that.

"You have a boyfriend." Hannah told her friend with a half-hearted scold. "You shouldn't be going on about the hotness of other guys."

"Brandon and I have been together for four years. Like he cares at this point. And anyways, it's not like I'm trying to date him. I want this for you! This guy could make you really happy. You can't just give up on it. You should reach out and text him first."

"I already have texted him. He hasn't responded." Hannah said sadly. Becca really did just want the best for her. While the plucky blonde girl could go on about boys as much as Viola, she really did have her younger roommate's best interest at heart.

"How long has it been?"

"About half an hour."

"Keep your head up. If he's a hunter, then there is a good chance that he is busy doing something. There is no way he would forget about you, Han. You are too amazing of a person for that to happen. He'll text you back. I'm sure of it."

"Thanks Becs." Hannah said with a soft smile. She really did appreciate the support.

"Anytime. You know I'm always here if you need to talk about something, right?"

"I do." Hannah said, wishing more than anything that what she was saying was true. Becca was great. And would undoubtedly have loyal ears and an open heart if Hannah ever needed to talk to her about something. But for reasons that she held close to her chest, the younger roommate knew she could never entirely open up to her older roommate.

Hannah and Becca finished drinking their smoothies, limiting the conversation to small talk about classes and other insignificant things like their football team or the weather (always a classic). Not too long later, Hannah bid a farewell to her roommate, saying that she had to go work a shift at the library. But that was a lie. She actually had tonight off. She just wanted to get out of the apartment and not be there when Viola returned home. The last thing she needed was another round of questioning from her second roommate. And Viola was the kind of person to demand a lot more detail than Becca.

"Can I tell V about your date when she gets back?" Becca asked.

"Sure." Hannah said, more than happy to let someone else do the explaining for her.

"Alright then. Have fun at work."

"See you later."

Despite her personal issues, Hannah was so beyond appreciative that her roommates were so cool. Talking with Becs really did put her in a better mood.

Nevertheless as she headed towards her favorite coffee shop just down the street, Hannah let her mind drift off into contemplation about her limited social circle. Looking back on it, she really shouldn't be so reluctant to talk to her roommates about something as normal as a date. If she were an ordinary college girl, should be eager to talk about it with friends, right? But then again, she was never too good at the whole _friend_ thing. Becca and Viola were the closest thing Hannah had to friends. And that was just because they were forced to see each other all the time. Other than them… Well, it was pretty safe to say that Hannah had a lot of lonely nights.

Both Becca and Viola were older than her. Viola was a junior and Becca was a senior. They were kind to her, that was for certain, but they weren't besties. Viola and Becca had their own circles of older friends. They would go out on weekends to bars and parties. They would invite her to come along, of course, but Hannah knew she would only feel out of place.

And so, Hannah was constantly out of the loop. But at the end of the day, she couldn't complain. For years now, that's where she chose to be…

Hannah's favorite Coffee shop was called _The Coffee Bean_. She ordered her usual mug of coffee, mixing in one packet of sugar and a splash of cream, and then made her way to her favorite spot in the back corner. The couch she always claimed as her own was old and antique looking with raspberry red fabric. It sat behind a wooden coffee table where she rested her mug as she reached into her backpack and pulled out her sketchpad and pencils.

Nothing made her more relaxed than drawing. It was one of those things that allowed her to banish all other thoughts from her mind and just focus on one singular entity. It always felt like magic whenever she drug her pencils along paper. It was one of the few things that she genuinely felt good at. Being a pre-med college student she was alright at. Making smoothies was something she was better than good at. But drawing? That was something she was _great_ at.

She started her sketch with faint lines that would later be erased. They were just a road map. A place to start.

She wished everything came as easily to her as sketching did. Then maybe she wouldn't be such a disaster all the time.

Soon all the worries faded from her heart as she penciled her way into a complete state of relaxation. Minutes and hours drifted by meaninglessly and eventually she was left with her final product.

The picture was a perfect representation of Killua. His messy hair. His mysterious eyes. The sharp lines of his jaw. Between her precise lines and heavy shading, it almost looked like the picture was real.

But, of course, that only made Hannah remember how much she wanted Killua to text her back.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Sup? How's it going? I hope everyone is doing well- perhaps even better than well. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed the chapter! I can't believe we are already through Chapter 6. Currently, I have written ahead to Chapter 16 (I think- I'm too lazy to check that at the moment) and so I guess I'm staying like ten chapters ahead of the story at a time. Which makes sense. I'm aiming for each of the three parts to be ten chapters long and ideally I'd like to finish writing all of Part Two before I start uploading its chapters.**

 **Yeah, sorry, I don't really know why I bothered to ramble on about that. Maybe you like to know? Maybe you find it interesting? Maybe you are growing angry with me for wasting your time with this half-hazardly assembled author's note?**

 **If the last of those quandaries is true for you, I'll just shut up and promise that the next chapter will be up in about a week. You can stop reading... NOW.**

 **And for the rest of you guys, I'll let you in on a secret. You're the ones I really like. Don't tell the other peasants who hate my author's notes. They can be sentenced to death by a Zoldyck.**

 **Haha, I have no idea what I'm talking about anymore. But know that I'm joking. I think. Haha nope, definitely joking. Or am I?**

 **I'm going to leave now. You guys are great. Leave a review if you possess enough fingers to type with. If that's not the case, I certainly understand and you can transmute your thoughts about the chapter to me telepathically.**

 **Best wishes to everyone,**

 **Ellie**


	7. Chapter 7: What Makes You Happy

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART ONE-**_

Chapter 7

What Makes You Happy

 _Hannah Hazel was a quirky little six year old._

 _Today, for example, she was rocking neon pink tights and a bright blue skirt that fell in heaps of ratty tulle down to her knees. Being the only sensible option, she paired this combo with a mustard yellow shirt that featured a massive smiley face on it. And that wasn't the only smiley face she was wearing to school that day. Right smack in the middle of her chubby cheeks was a ginormous smile that was almost as wide as her ponytail was long (and it_ was _long- even though she situated the ponytail on the top of her head, it still fell down well past her shoulder blades)._

 _Her smile didn't fade even after being scolded by her teacher, Mrs. Button, for skipping down the hallway on the way to lunch._

 _"No running in the hallways, Hannah. You know better than that." The young teacher, who made herself look decidedly more scholarly with her circular red glasses, said gently to one of the most excitable girls in the class._

 _"I'm not running, I'm skipping!" Hannah said happily, sure that Mrs. Button would understand after the clarification._

 _"Save it for recess, sweetheart."_

 _"Okay! I'll skip all the way around the playground instead!"_

 _The little girl slowed to a walk, imagining just how fun it was going to be to skip at recess today. Maybe she could even get some of the other kids to play hopscotch with her! But then they would need chalk… She wondered intently on the chances of Mrs. Button having some chalk for her to use._

 _But before recess came lunch (the second best part of the school day, in Hannah's opinion). And boy, was Hannah excited for that too. Everyday her mom packed her favorites- a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, carrots, Goldfish, juice, and a chocolate chip cookie! Alright so maybe the carrots weren't too exciting, but her mom would get mad at her if she didn't eat them. Apparently they were healthy for you or something silly like that._

 _Sitting down at one of the long lunch tables with her girl classmates (boys were icky and gross), Hannah pulled out her Power Puff Girls lunchbox and peered inside. Sandwich? Check. Carrots? Check. Goldfish? Check. Juice? Check. Chocolate chip cookie?_

 _Hannah rustled through her lunchbox some more, searching for the cookie. But she couldn't find it! Even when she took everything out of her lunchbox, it still wasn't there! What happened? Did her mom forget to pack the cookie for her?! What a tragedy! The cookie was the best part of her lunch (duh, cookies were always the best part of any lunch)!_

 _The absence of the cookie made Hannah very sad. For the first time that day, her signature smile faded away. She even started to feel her eyes getting all watery. She sniffled and rubbed away some of the tears._

 _"Are you okay?" Someone asked her. Hannah looked up from her lunch to see that it was Claire who had spoken to her. Claire was one of the girls in her class and she was currently sitting directly across from Hannah with a full lunch displayed on the table. She had a cookie. A_ chocolate chip _cookie._

 _"Yeah." Hannah sniffled again sadly. "But my mom forgot to pack my cookie in my lunch today."_

 _"I'm sorry." Claire said. Her bulging brown eyes were large, sparkly and sympathetic. Claire was one of the nicest girls in her class. She had carmely skin and curly brown-almost-black hair that pranced around her head in an Afro that some of the kids teased her for. Hannah never did though. She thought it was pretty._

 _"Thanks." Hannah mumbled, but she didn't feel too much better. She was still cookieless and had a disproportionate amount of carrots in her lunchbox._

" _Do you want to share my cookie?" Claire asked._

 _And suddenly it was like the sun came back out from behind the clouds. Like her Sunday morning cartoons played on the TV all day. Like recess was a whole hour instead of only fifteen minutes!_

 _"Really?!" Hannah said in awe. Her smile was back on in full force._

 _"Sure!" Claire replied with a smile of her own. She split her cookie in half and passed one of the pieces across the table._

 _That was the moment Hannah Hazel and Claire Gonzales became best friends. And it all started with a cookie._

XXX

Killua didn't make it back to his hotel until the following evening after his fight with the Man in the Metal Mask. It had taken him several hours just to stand up- that had brought him into the daylight hours. He had expended so much energy in the fight that it felt like he had no aura left at all. And when that feeling was combined with his physical injuries, it was no wonder why Killua was feeling so shitty.

Whatever that Man's Hatsu was, it seriously screwed with his body. He felt all wrong. Like his organs had shifted around inside him or that his blood was flowing in the wrong direction. However, as time passed, it started to feel like things were going back to normal. Physically, at least.

Because when Killua finally did muster the strength to stand up, he realized he didn't have anything to stand up for.

And so, he moved over to a secluded bench next to some abandoned weed-infested gravestones and sat back down, trying not to think about what the hell he was supposed to do with his life now. The Man in the Metal Mask was just too strong. There was no way he could actually manage to kill him. That meant there was no way to avenge Gon's death. And to put the cherry on top, his family was going to find out that he purposefully failed his mission. That was not going to go over well with the Zoldycks, who sported a perfect mission completion record until now. He did not feel like returning home to face the wrath of his father, or worse, his oldest brother.

The feeling of utter defeat and failure was palpable. Heavy. Suffocating. There was nothing left to do. Nowhere to go. He only had what felt like a handful of broken ribs and enough sin to fill an entire level of Hell.

But then he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Weighing the consequences of seeing what it said, Killua ended up checking it. It was a text. From Hannah.

 _Hey:) Thanks for last night! I had fun_

He narrowed his eyes and placed his phone back in his pocket. He had no idea what he was going to do about her either. The Man in the Metal Mask was after her. Even if the monster didn't know her name or what she looked like, she was still in danger. He supposed that one option was to just let her die. That Man would find her eventually with the help of the Zoldyck family. He didn't like the idea of the Man who killed Gon getting what he wanted, but Killua didn't feel the inspiration to do anything about it either. And it wasn't like he could do anything against the Man to save her. She was probably better living the last few days or weeks of her life without him.

Never mind the slight murmur of happiness he felt upon seeing that she had bothered to text him. Never mind that at all.

His well-trained senses spiked when he felt someone was approaching him. He relaxed slightly whenever he felt that the person in question was absolutely harmless. An ordinary human.

As he looked up, he saw that it was a stubby, middle-aged man with pompous glasses and expensive black suit. He looked down upon the ragged dirt stained teenager with utter disdain.

"Excuse me, young man, but you have no business being here today. This is a private funeral."

Killua glanced across the cemetery. He had noticed the small procession taking place, but hadn't bothered to give the mourning people there a second thought before now.

"Then I suggest you get back to it." He replied calmly, not looking the man in the eye.

The older man puffed his chest and adopted a voice even snootier than before.

"I shall not have the funeral of my Great Aunt Martha ruined by a dirty hooligan such as yourself. I shall not ask you again to vacate the premises immediately!"

Killua didn't say a word. He merely turned his head to look at the man. He looked at him with eyes that screamed danger and a face that held a warning.

 _You don't want to mess with me. One wrong move and you're dead. That's a promise._

The suited man gulped slightly and cleared his throat. For the first time he saw that it wasn't just dirt staining the skin and clothes of the boy. It was blood.

"Well, um as long as you don't make any racket or…"

He never finished his sentence and instead turned around to sprint foolishly back to his Great Aunt Martha's funeral.

Killua scoffed. He had just about enough of this damn cemetery.

XXX

Killua spent the afternoon driving his car into a lake.

Just because he ultimately failed his mission, it didn't mean that he had to stop being professional. A Zoldyck never leaves any trace of his presence after an assassination. He had already made sure to destroy the security cameras on the street where he murdered the couple and drove away with the girl's body in his car, but he could never be too careful. There might have been a witness who saw the car. That meant it had to go. He spent a little bit of time driving before he reached a small lake in the wilderness outside of York New City. He drove the car straight into the lake and jumped out at the last moment to prevent his own drowning, skipping over the roof of the vehicle and landing lightly on the shore like a cat. He did this with such practiced ease that he didn't even get wet.

It was a shame, really. It was a nice car. And he'd have to pay the rental car dealership a hefty fine for not returning it. Or he could just kill the guy in charge of his bill. He was undecided.

And dumping the car meant that he had to walk back to his hotel. He could have run it in less than five minutes, but he wasn't in any rush. He walked slowly and deliberately the whole way back. He made a stop to grab some new clothes and clean himself up a little bit. It was dusk by the time he finally entered through the revolving doors of the five star _Emerald Hotel_ where he resided in the pent house suite.

The Emerald Hotel had a magnificent lobby. It was large and spacious with a grand fountain nestled in between the foot of two wide, winding staircases. The marble tile was a shimmering emerald with darker shades of green speckling intricate patterns onto the floor. The walls and the grand columns stretching all the way up to the soaring ceilings were a warm creamy color made even brighter by the dazzling glow of the chandelier that served as a second focal point in the lobby. There were also, of course, fancy couches and sitting areas decorating the space, but the true marvel of the lobby was that fountain. Emerging from an ovular basin of water was a tall abstract statue resembling shards of emerald stone. From the top of the statue, streams of emerald green water tumbled into the collecting basin below.

However, Killua remained unimpressed. He was in a sour mood, after all. He shot a death stare at anyone who tried to approach him. The bell boy who offered to take his coat. The women next to a platter of freshly baked cookies. They all quickly realized that Killua was not to be disturbed.

There was one person however that did not duck out of Killua's path as he walked past the Emerald Fountain and towards the elevators.

It took him a moment to register who it was. He barely recognized her. She was much taller than he remembered and her shiny black hair was smoother and flatter, falling in perfectly straight lines around her broad, pale face. Her eyes sparkled a familiar blue beneath the dark sheets of bangs covering her forehead. She was wearing a flowery long sleeve shirt tucked into a black skirt that flared out down to a spot just above her knees.

"Hey big brother." She said with a familiar smile.

Killua stared at her in complete shock, instantly freezing to the spot. He felt the urge to pinch himself, just to be sure that he wasn't dreaming. It was his favorite little sister, Alluka. It took him a moment to process what was going on, but only a moment. His mind was back in razor sharp focus in an instant.

"Alluka? What the hell are you doing here?"

The teenage girl giggled. "Gee, it's good to see you too."

"How did you find me? No, don't answer that. It's obvious. Leorio and Kurapika told you where I am didn't they? They wanted you to come talk to me."

"Yes, they told me where you were staying, but _I'm_ the one who wants to talk to my big brother. I've been trying to reach out to you for months. I've been worried about you."

Killua let out a sigh and shook his head. All his anger just seemed to melt away whenever he was in her presence. "There's nothing to worry about. I'm fine."

"I know you." She said softly. A tear was starting to form in the corner of her eye. "I know when you're lying."

Lost for words, he just lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. Not able to hold herself back any longer, Alluka raced forward and greeted her brother in a large embrace, tucking her head against his chest. Thrown off for a moment by the close contact, it took Killua a moment before he wrapped his arms around her and held her in tight. He had forgotten how much he missed her.

XXX

"How's school?" Killua asked, handing his sister the mug of hot chocolate she requested. He didn't keep anything in the cabinets of his kitchen, so he had to order it from room service, but all in all it was a very small price to pay. The siblings had retired upstairs to Killua's suite and had settled down for a long-delayed talk.

"Good." She replied. "I had to miss a few days to come and see you though."

"I don't like to hear that."

"Well then maybe you should have returned some of my calls." Her voice was teasing, but there was an edge to it that Killua didn't miss. A hardness that was normally absent in her silky sing-song tone. It was hard for him to remember that she was all grown up now. A senior in high school. 18 years old. He wasn't the perfect big brother he used to be in the innocent eyes of her youth. She was mad at him. She did a good job of hiding it, but he knew her pretty well too.

"I'm sorry." He replied simply.

Over the past six months, it had been easier to just stay on his own. He didn't want to talk to anybody. He didn't want to see anybody. Not even his little sister. He only wanted revenge. He _still_ wanted revenge and if he wasn't so damn realistic, he'd still be out there now, searching for the Man in the Metal Mask, searching for a way to kill him. But it was impossible. He had to find a way to let go of his thirst for revenge somehow. It was either that or die trying.

If it wasn't for Alluka, he'd probably chose the second option without a second thought. A part of him was still tempted to choose the second option.

Alluka would be sad, but she would be okay without him. For once she was finally safe. Since he freed her from imprisonment at their family manor all those years ago, they had worked together to figure out a way to control her powers without Killua's help. They had succeeded and Alluka was now able to live an ordinary life without depending on her older brother. Instead of striving to become a hunter like him, she chose to attend a boarding school for ordinary children where she could make friends her own age and be as normal as possible. She was happy there and Killua was sure to visit all the time.

Until Gon died, that is. He had once again fallen into the trap of ignoring his little sister. On one hand it showed that she was indeed independent now, but on the other hand it showed that he was still a crappy big brother. He had been treating his own life with such little reverence without a thought of how it may affect her. She should be a lot angrier with him than she was. She should be furious…

"I forgive you." She said, reaching out to place her hand on top of his. "I know how close you and Gon were. I'm so sorry you lost him."

He looked at her in amazement. He was so proud of the incredible young woman she had become, but at the same time it felt like she didn't need him anymore. He liked it when she was young and fragile. He liked protecting her from harm. For a time, that had been his entire life's purpose. But she grew up. He went back to traveling the world, taking jobs as a hunter, and spending as much time with Gon as possible. But the Gon died. And he was left with nothing but revenge. And now even that possibility was taken away from him.

"I don't… I don't know what to do anymore." Killua breathed out honestly. Without his anger or hatred, he was vulnerable. Without a target to kill or a mission to accomplish, he was just a sad teenage kid who lost his best friend. "It's like I have nothing to live for."

He would never tell Leorio or Kurapika, but he was glad his sister was here.

"That's not true." She told him gently. "There is always something to live for. You have me, for one. And if that's not enough, then you'll just have to find something else. You just have to look for it."

He nodded once. Those words sounded pretty good. But he had a feeling that they were a lot easier said than done.

"When did you get so wise?"

"Contrary to popular belief boarding school works remarkably well."

"Boarding school has nothing to do with it." Killua said with an empty laugh. "Seriously. I'm amazed by how well you turned out. Between our psychotic family and your special powers, it's a miracle you are who you are."

"It's because of you, you know." She told him. "I always looked up to you. You were always so strong. I wanted to be just like you."

"I'm not feeling so strong these days." His tone was sad and unfiltered. Alluka saw right through him anyway, so what was the point of pretending anything different?

"Hmm, I'm guessing you saying that has something to do with that cut on your neck?" Her eyes went directly to the narrow slice of red that slashed through his otherwise milky skin.

"Maybe."

"Then I guess you have no choice but to become even stronger."

"And how do I do that?" Killua actually smiled. For a moment he felt like he was speaking to Gon. He always said stupid stuff like that.

"By letting go of the past."

Killua looked away from her and towards the floor instead. Yep, she was definitely sounding like Gon right now. The kid always had a knack for looking towards the future… But Killua was different. He was dominated by his past.

"I can't." He said.

"You're my big brother. You can do anything."

"No. Not everything."

"Not with that attitude." She said firmly. "I never thought that I'd be able to move on from what happened when I was a kid. But you helped me realize that in order to move on I had to create a future for myself where I could be happy. That's why I'm going to school. You just have to do the same thing. Think of something that makes you happy. Anything."

"You make me happy." He was quick to shoot back, not giving her advice any further thought. Alluka giggled.

"Nope not good enough. I clearly haven't done much for you these past six months and besides," She continued when Killua started to protest her statement, "I think you need a little something to make you smile outside of our crazy family. That's why Gon was so good for you."

"I'm not replacing Gon." Killua was surprised by how much his voice sounded like a growl. But he was adamant about what he said, nonetheless. There was no replacing his best friend.

"I never said you had to. I just want you to find something that makes you smile."

He was surprised by how quickly the answer popped into his head. It was like the obvious conclusion. The only bright path in a maze of darkness. The only time he had smiled a genuine smile in the last six months was when he was with her.

Hannah Hazel. She made him smile.

"Alright." He said with his eyes closed, picturing the image of the round faced, hazel eyed girl in his mind. He would humor his little sister for now. He'd follow her advice to make her stop worrying- and go back to school in content. "What do I do next?"

Alluka laughed that sing song laughter of hers.

"Isn't it obvious? Go get it, of course!"

XXX

Hand cramping from the effort of clutching a pencil in her hand for so long, Hannah finally gave herself a break, trading out her art supplies for the cup of coffee she had been neglecting. She made a funny face as she forced herself to gulp it down. Yuck. Nothing was worse than lukewarm coffee.

She grabbed her phone. Still no text from Killua, but that was only to be expected. No other texts either, but that came as even less of a shock. Instead, she tapped the icon for her News App and scrolled through the day's top stories, looking to see if anything interesting was going on in the world. There were a couple articles about Baseball- she guessed he World Series was going on or something. There was also the classic online gossip sites posting about the latest Hollywood scandal and a standard piece trashing state of the economy. The only interesting thing to read was an article about the murder of two college aged students. They didn't attend her school but were visiting York New City for a night of fun…

 _Young Couple Murdered, Assumed to be Work of Zoldyck Family_

 _Brittney Porter, 20, and Michael Zhang, 22, were murdered between the hours of 11 PM and 2 AM Monday morning in York New City. The suspect for the murder is currently unknown and an investigation is underway. However, authorities assume the attack to be the work of the infamous Zoldyck Family, a group of assassins known for their ruthless profession and ability to leave behind no discernible evidence of their murderous activity._

 _No blood was left behind on the scene of the murder, the exact location of which is unknown. Zhang's body was located in a dumpster in an alley off 16th street. Porter has yet to be located although is presumed to be dead…_

Eventually Hannah winced and decided she couldn't read anymore. She clicked the lock button on her phone and ran her fingers through her hair. It was scary. Killua and she were in York New City at pretty much the same time. It could have been them. She made a mental note not to tell her mom about this or she'd just worry even more about her only daughter.

She didn't know much about the Zoldycks, but she did know that whoever that family targeted _always_ ended up dead. They were wealthy and prosperous but off the map at the same time. Although there were bus tours that visited their family estate, no one dared enter inside because those who did ended up dead. It was no surprise to her that they had claimed another victim, but it was particularly dumbfounding as to why the Zoldycks would target two ordinary people. The murdered couple weren't rich or influential. They didn't come from high ranking families and didn't have particularly promising futures. It made no sense that someone would hire the Zoldycks to kill them.

Shaking off another round of the shivers, Hannah forced herself to stop thinking about it. It was dark outside now and she'd better head back to her apartment. Fortunately it wasn't too far of a walk and the street was fairly well lit.

And then her phone buzzed. It was a text from Killua. Her heart pounded with nervous excitement and she suddenly forgot how to breathe.

 _Where are you?_

She thought the question was rather curious, but she didn't give it a second thought as she rapidly typed back a reply.

 _At the Coffee Bean. It's at 26th and Rowen_

As soon as she sent the text, it dawned on her that she should have waited longer before responding. She didn't want it to look like she was desperate and waiting for him to text back all day. Even if that little detail was true. But there was no time to dwell on it now. Killua texted her again in no time.

 _I'll be there in ten_

He was coming here?! Her heart started to beat even faster in excitement. She was not prepared for this- her hair wasn't brushed and she was wearing a T-shirt with a picture of a cat on it! She much would have preferred to spend an ample time getting ready like she was able to for their date, but she didn't have enough time. The best she could do was run her fingers through her tangles and pop and mint into her mouth. The latter of the two was done purely for safety.

Killua was there in 8 minutes, not ten. He walked through the front doors of the coffee shop and looked around without any particular expression on his face. Hannah simply adored this coffee shop with its old wallpaper and mismatching collections of furniture, but she wondered if he would think the same. She was more apt to picture him in a sleek downtown bar than a quirky coffee shop in East Campus. He quickly caught her eye and walked over to her without ordering a coffee, sliding into the mustard yellow armchair across from her.

"Hey." He said.

"Hi." Hannah replied. "It's good to see you. This is a nice surprise."

He nodded at the sketch pad on the coffee table between them. "What's that?"

"Oh it's nothing. I like to come here and sketch sometimes when I'm stressed."

"And how often is that?"

"All the time."

"What are you stressed about?"

All the questions were throwing Hannah off. The first couple times she met Killua, he'd always been the one deflecting _her_ endless questions. He'd always acted cool and detached. He still looked a little cool and detached, but his asking questions made it seem like he was interested. Was he interested in her?

"Just the usual stuff. Exams, homework, stuff like that."

 _And the fact that I've been torturing myself over whether or not you were going to text me back all freaking day long!_ Hannah added that to herself, deciding that it was best for him to not know just how happy she was that he was here right now.

"Seems boring."

There it was again. Those short comments that made it seem like his mind was somewhere else, somewhere more important.

"So what have you been up to? Any luck on your hunt?"

"Nope." He replied. "One failure after another."

It wasn't until then that she noticed the cut on his neck. It was long, stretching from his ear down to the base of his neck. It was bright red. Recent.

"Oh my god what happened to your neck?!" She asked. She hadn't meant for her voice to come off so concerned. He was a hunter and probably got injured all the time, but still, she didn't have to have her medical license to know that his wound wasn't the sort of cut you got in an ordinary fight. It was like someone had taken a knife to his throat.

Killua let out a sigh. "It's not important."

"It looks important."

"This is nothing."

"You don't always have to act so tough, you know."

"I'm not acting tough. It's nothing."

"You really aren't going to tell me what happened?"

"Nope."

Hannah rolled her eyes. This was more of the Killua she remembered. Frustrating. Mysterious. Even hotter with a wound on his neck…

"So why did you come here? Don't you have anywhere better to be?" She asked next. She honestly was curious. She wanted to understand where exactly it was that they stood because at this point she had no earthly clue.

"Do you not want me here?"

"Of course I do!" She said that with a little too much passion. He smirked. She blushed.

"I wanted to see you." His answer caught her off guard. Not just because he never gave her a straight answer, but because he said he _wanted_ to see _her_. Butterflies exploded in her stomach. She should really calm down… It wasn't healthy to like him this much already.

"You wanted to see me?" She echoed softly in disbelief.

"Why is that such a surprise?"

"Well because… I uh-"

"You have confidence issues." He stated bluntly, completely wiping away any remaining butterflies in her belly.

"Excuse me?"

"You have confidence issues." He repeated much slower this time like he was mocking her.

"I heard you the first time!"

"I have no idea why. You have no reason to doubt yourself."

She stared at him in confusion. Was he complimenting her? Flirting with her? Encouraging her? Messing with her? It was all very unclear. In the end she just decided to be snarky.

"Well there is a fine line between confident and arrogant. But I'm guessing you don't know anything about _that_."

"See? You have a quick mind. You should embrace it and not always care so much about what everyone else thinks."

"I don't care about what everyone else-"

"And you should smile more. You're even more beautiful when you smile."

"I smile all the time-!"

She was going to protest further, but her voice faltered when she realized what he said. Did he just say she was beautiful? Okay he was definitely flirting with her. And messing with her. But for him the two might just be the same thing… Now she was really confused about his intentions. He was just a giant bundle of questions and it drove her crazy.

"You're impossible." She said, shaking her head. He smirked.

"I only speak the truth."

"The words of a practiced liar."

"Hmm interesting…" Killua had previously been leaning back casually in his chair, but he lifted his feet off the coffee table and leaned forward towards the girl instead, curiosity flickering in his oceany blue eyes. "Tell me, do you not think you're beautiful?"

"What kind of a question is that?" She replied nervously. Her body language betrayed her, however. She was subconsciously shaking her head. Killua smiled, taking her head shake as a definite answer. While Hannah's heart was beating erratically and couldn't seem to force any air into her lungs, the white haired boy was in absolute control. He was calm and collective. Like he was a detective and she was the mystery. And that was so not fair because she was painfully boring and ordinary in comparison to him.

"I wonder why you think that." He said. He was examining her closely, moving his eyes slowly up and down all over her. "Long pretty hair. Big hazel eyes-"

"My eyes are brown. Not hazel." Hannah was quick to correct him. He tilted his head in confusion.

"Perhaps the answer is that you don't own a mirror. Your eyes clearly have a touch of green."

"I can assure you they don't. They've been plain brown from day one. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Your last name is Hazel." He said. Hannah was impressed. He only saw it once on a name tag several days ago yet he remembered her last name.

"True."

Killua stifled a small laugh like he was sharing a joke with himself. "How ironic. So tell me _Hazel_ , is there anything else I need to know about you? Is your skin actually purple? Or are you secretly an old woman?"

"Shut up." Hannah laughed. "You need to get your eyes checked."

But that was just her being defensive, trying to keep some sort of dignity at the moment. Because there was nothing wrong with his eyes. They were as gorgeous as ever. Wide, cat-like, and the most spectacular shade of blue she'd ever seen… Wait, what were they talking about again? Hannah was suddenly losing track. A side effect of his eyes she guessed…

When Hannah floated back down to reality a shot of horror jolted through her heart. Killua had picked up her sketchbook and was flipping through the pages.

"Hey, stop! Don't look at that! It's private-"

"Wow these are pretty good. You're talented. Although can you not afford crayons? These are all in black and white."

Hannah reached across the coffee table and tried to snatch away her sketchbook, similarly to when she had tried to confiscate that book of his in the library. But his reflexes were too quick for her. He dodged her hand and flipped the pages of the sketchbook to the most recent one that had been drawn on. The picture of him.

All humor evaporated immediately from his face. The light left his eyes and his mouth narrowed into a straight line. She braced herself for the laughter and teasing. Her skin was already tainted a deep cherry tomato. Could she take even more embarrassment?

But Killua surprised her. Instead of responding with a snide remark, his voice was smooth and calm. "I look sad."

Hannah didn't know what to say. His response was so unexpected. But then her mouth did that thing it only did when she was with him. It formed words without permission from her mind. "You do a good job of pretending like you're not. But I can see it in your eyes. That's how you look when no one's looking."

Killua nodded. This was where he would usually change the subject and brush off the deeper mood with a snarky one word comeback. But he surprised her again.

"You're right." He said quietly, not looking her in the eye. He close the sketchbook and set it down on the table. "The drawing. All of them. They're perfect."

"Thanks." She wasn't sure of anything else to say. Killua had just become even more fascinating, if that were possible. He definitely had a dark or tragic past that he wasn't fond of sharing. He probably put up his disinterested and arrogant facade to cope with whatever it was he was dealing with. She felt a spark of pride that she was beginning to understand him, but of course, that meant she was left with even more questions than before. Killua clearly wasn't about to say anything, so they sat in silence until Hannah could find something worthwhile to say.

"Alright, so maybe I'm not confident. But I am happy. And you're not happy, but you have plenty of confidence. Maybe we could help each other out?"

"Maybe."

"Is that like a no-maybe or a maybe-maybe?"

He cracked into a smile. "It's a maybe."

He met her eyes with his rare smile and for a split moment, Hannah felt like they were friends. But then the next moment, he looked away and stood up abruptly.

"I should get going. Do you want me to walk you home?"

Hannah thought about the recent murder and smiled appreciatively.

"I'd like that. Thanks."

Quickly packing up her things into her backpack, Hannah disposed of what remained of her coffee and followed Killua out the door. They mostly walked back to her apartment in silence, but she enjoyed his presence nevertheless. It was strange. Most of the time when she was around people she would rather be on her own. She was just a loner like that. But with Killua it was different. She not only liked his company but _wanted_ it. She regretted that they would have to part at the end of the night and wondered when their paths would cross again. She didn't think that she could bare another day of wondering whether he was going to text her, but at the same time she still didn't know what their relationship was. Were they friends? Acquaintances? Something more? She wanted an answer. And that desire to know for sure was what gave her a sudden burst of bravery at the same spot where Killua had said goodnight to her after their date the night before. She turned around and spoke to him quickly before disappearing into her apartment for the night.

"Were you going to kiss me last night?" She spoke the question before she could chicken out. When he didn't respond immediately she added, "It sort of felt like you were going to."

He took a step towards her but it almost seemed like he was tentative about it. He slowly lifted his hands and touched her hair, pulling pieces of it to rest in front of her shoulders instead of behind them. His motions were like an experiment. Made out of curiosity. Her skin tingled where his fingers brushed her skin.

"Yes. I was." He said.

"Why didn't you?" Her voice was hardly more than a whisper, part of a breath she had been holding in for too long.

"You deserve better."

With that, the spell was broken. He walked away without another word, leaving her behind in the hallway of her apartment building, alone once more.

But this time she was smiling. She was going to figure him out.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hi! Wow, compared to the other chapters so far, this one was pretty long! And so much stuff happened in it. Where to begin? We got our first glimpse into Hannah's past, Alluka has officially entered the story, and it looks like Killua is going to take a shot at being happy! Or is he just pretending with Hannah to appease his little sibling? And, Hannah remains clueless when it comes to Killua's true identity. When/ will she find out? And if she does, how is she going to react?**

 **As always, let me know what you thought about the chapter. I love reading your wonderful reviews! And if you have a polite critique or suggestion, don't hesitate to let me know that as well. I want to do everything I can to make this story as amazing as possible.**

 **Stay strong, keep your head up, and greet the world with a smile,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter**


	8. Chapter 8: Killua and Hannah Go Canoeing

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART ONE-  
**_

Chapter 8

Killua and Hannah Go Canoeing

A week had gone by since Killua's sister came to visit and he still had no earthly idea what he was doing with his life. He had no grand plans for revenge, no job as an assassin, and nothing he wanted to do with his future. All he was left with was the mundane task of appeasing his little sister by hanging out with the most ordinary girl of all time: Hannah Hazel.

Perhaps she wasn't 100% ordinary. After all, he _had_ been able to endure spending time with her for several consecutive days. She didn't bore him like the majority of humans did and he actually found himself enjoy being around her occasionally. The key word in that sentence was _occasionally_. The vast majority of the time she was positively infuriating.

For one thing, he was certain that he had never heard a negative word come out of her mouth. All of her comments, stories and mindless chatter was like a constant stream of verbal sunshine not unlike her cheery shade of brown hair that always smelled like flowers and vanilla. And she was so helpless and fragile. She was so physically weak and ridiculously optimistic that it was a miracle she wasn't already dead. Killua knew this world to be ruthless and unforgiving to the weak- but that was just a testimony to how they lived in two separate worlds altogether. And they were drastically different. She lived in a universe where weekends consisted of Sunday brunch and trips to the movies while weekdays were dedicated to work and studying. It seemed incredibly bland and boring, but altogether much safer than the 24/7 death and danger he had dealt with his entire existence.

Regardless, he had no idea it was possible for a person to be so utterly helpless. For example, a couple days ago they were having lunch outside a small café and she was struggling to unscrew the top of her water bottle. She wrestled with it for no less than five minutes, making funny faces as she tried to force the cap off with insufficient muscle mass, determined to not ask for help. Eventually he just snatched the bottle out of her hands and popped the cap open for her. She blushed and murmured a word of thanks.

But perhaps the most infuriating part of it all was the warm feeling he felt in his chest whenever she blushed or giggled. He liked making her cheeks turns red. He liked hearing the sound of her giddy laughter. And he had no idea why. It was like his mind and body were warring over what Hazel meant to him. His body liked her presence but his mind hated how she made him feel. A perfect example of this happened on their fake first date. He had been so caught up in the moment that he nearly kissed her even though he had only just recently decided not to kill her. Looking back it was an incredibly stupid thing to almost-do. Even though he had been spending more time with her recently, any sort of real relationship was out of the question. He was only doing this whole friend-thing because Alluka asked him to. And Hannah was Gon's sister. After he learned all he could about her and appeased his little sister, he would leave her behind to live her life.

And so, Killua was determined to act like he didn't care about her. He didn't want her to get any wrong ideas and besides, if he acted enough like a jerk, perhaps she would get sick of him and he'd be free of this whole debacle entirely.

But whenever the sunny brown haired girl started babbling on about a story, or giggled that childish giggle of hers, he found himself smiling. Naturally. Like he was happy or something ridiculous like that.

It was certainly infuriating indeed.

"Canoeing?" Killua asked skeptically, shooting an unconvinced glance at the slender boat floating on the water. It was a bright orange and made of cheap plastic. Taking that death trap out on an open river was like asking someone to snipe you.

"I love being out on the water so much, but I hardly ever get to go." Hazel said excitedly, rushing her words as she stepped off the dock and into the bench towards the back of the canoe. She was carrying a fairly long wooden paddle that made her movements clumsy, but she settled down easily enough. "I know it's a little late in the year to be canoeing in York New City, but I just wanted to get out here again before the weather really gets cold and we can't take advantage of the Sonhud River anymore. It's so beautiful and-"

"Alright, alright, I get it." Killua said grumpily. He moved much more gracefully into the canoe and settled down in the forward seat, facing his companion.

"Sorry, there is only one paddle, so we'll take turns rowing." She flashed him an apologetic smile. "I thought it'd be easier to talk like this. Plus canoes are much more stable than kayaks so hopefully we won't get wet."

She undid the line that attached the canoe to the dock, freeing the vessel.

"You know how to steer this thing?" He asked skeptically.

"Of course I do."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, so maybe the last time I canoed was on a Girl Scouts Camping trip in fifth grade, but I remember! It's not too hard."

He chuckled and watched her struggle to maneuver the canoe out of the docks and into the open river. She shifted the paddle into the water on either side of the boat depending on the direction she wanted to go. It was quite humorous. Especially since her face was scrunched up in intense concentration on her paddling.

"You were a Girl Scout?"

"When I was younger, of course! I learned how to survive in the wilderness." She said, but even she couldn't keep a straight face through her joke.

"And sell cookies." He added, remembering the time that a Girl Scout troop visited the gates of his family estate. That was a funny day. He came out to watch as the elementary school girls screamed when they heard Mike growl from inside the gates. They dropped their boxes of Thin Mints and Do-Si-Dos on the ground as they sprinted away in terror. He thought it best not to mention that part to Hazel.

"Nah, my mom did all the selling. I did the eating."

"I never imagined you could be such a rebel."

"I have my moments."

"Yes, Hazel. You certainly do."

Hannah dipped her head for a moment and smiled. When she looked back up at him, her eyes were dancing with a playful shine. "You did it again."

"Did what?"

"You called me Hazel."

"So?"

"So, you've given me a nickname. If I'm not mistaken, nicknames are generally signals of affection. I'm starting to grow on you, aren't I?"

Killua rolled his eyes. "Hazel is your last name. I'd hardly call that a nickname."

Hazel shrugged. "In any case, I like it."

Killua cracked another unwelcome smile and turned his head to look at the smooth, glassy surface of the water. With not a breath of wind in the air, the river surface was disturbed only by the small ripples of waves that echoed outwards in the canoe's wake. Well, that and the gentle splashing of Hazel's paddle, alternating from one side of the boat to the other. The October sun was in full blast, as if it were trying to make its final mark on the landscape before it left for the winter. It reflected off the water, magnifying in brightness, making the air seem light and surreal, like a filtered photograph.

It was peaceful out here. Too peaceful. He felt like a sore thumb sticking out somewhere it didn't belong. It was all too bright. Too happy. This life could never fully be his. He looked once more at the girl sitting in front of him. Her eyes looked even greener with the foresty background on the shore of the Sonhud. For a second- and only a second- he wished that this w _as_ his life. That he could just spend the rest of his days out here. With her. Killua quickly shook the thought from his head. This world wasn't his. And neither was Hazel.

But… was it so wrong to pretend? Just for little while? For the sake of his sister?

"You see that?" Killua asked suddenly, pointing to a duck swimming beside the canoe with a smooth grace it was only capable of in water.

"It's a duck." She replied with a grin.

"Yep. And it's moving faster than us." Sure enough the duck was speeding past them, leaving the canoe in the dust (metaphorically).

"Yeah it's- hey! Are you insulting my rowing skills?"

"Yep."

"We're going plenty fast! This isn't a race, you know!"

"Good thing it isn't or you'd lose to a duck."

"Well ducks are pretty fast! And he doesn't have to lug along _you_ with it!"

"I'm just suggesting we switch places."

"After your attitude? No way! You're going to sit there and enjoy the ride while I paddle at a perfectly reasonable speed."

"Your arms are shaking."

"W-what?"

"Your arms are shaking. You're tired."

"No I'm fine. This is nothing." She protested, but her voice betrayed her. It cracked with strain and sounded a little bit wheezy from the lack of air in her lungs.

"You look like you're about to pass out."

"Am not."

"Looks like we are going to find out in about two minutes."

"Alright fine!" Hannah stopped rowing and threw the paddle at Killua, who caught it promptly. They switched places so that he was the one rowing in the back seat. Hannah tried to make it look like she wasn't heaving for air, but she totally was.

"Isn't that better?"

"In my defense, canoeing is hard work."

"Consider yourself defended."

They started cruising along at a considerably faster speed, catching up with the duck and quickly passing it. He was sure to throw her a smug look as they did so. She responded with an exasperated sigh and a shake of her head, not bothering to comment out loud because she was secretly glad to be relieved of her paddling duties.

And now that she was free to sit, relax and gaze at the beautiful sights, her eyes inevitable drifted to Killua. And she was pretty obvious about it too as she watched his arm muscles flexing beneath his T-Shirt as he instinctively executed perfect canoeing form.

Being a trained assassin, Killua was a lot let obvious about inspecting her. Instead of long, focused glances, he flicked his eyes around, focusing elsewhere as he soaked in her image through peripheral vision. It baffled him how little self-confidence she had because she was definitely pretty. Not in a supermodel or stunning sort of glamor, but more in an understated, natural way. She hardly wore any make up, but her light skin still glowed and her hazel eyes still popped. That was another mystery. How could she deny the tint of green in her golden brown orbs? It was beyond him. Besides that, her hair was tied back into a high pony tail, exposing high cheekbones and ever-present dimples to the world.

She was funny, charming, and pretty. That brought up the obvious question: why was she choosing to spend all of her time with him? He remembered her mentioning something about knowing how it feels to be lonely before, but that didn't make sense. A girl like this in the middle of her college days should have plenty of friends to hang out with.

"Why do you put up with me?" He asked, his voice shocking her out of whatever honey-flavored thoughts were running through her head.

"What kind of a question is that?"

He sighed, knowing all too well that he was going to have to spell this out for her. "I'm moody. I act like a jerk. I don't like sharing. And I pretend to not care about anything you say."

"Don't forget reproachful and arrogant." She teased softly, although she seemed to know where he was getting at. And if she noticed that he used the word "pretend", she didn't comment on it.

"The _point_ is that I'm asking why you choose to spend time with me. Do you not have any other friends?"

The question wasn't aimed to be rude or teasing, but asked out of simple curiosity. He was serious and she understand that, responding with equal seriousness.

"Um, I mean not really. I have Viola and Becca, of course. They're my two roommates- you met them for about two seconds when you picked me up for our first- for dinner that one time. But it's not like we hang out outside the apartment. They have their own circle of older friends. I don't fit in."

"I understand." He said, although he really didn't. He wasn't an expert on roommates or social circles, but he did know that she wasn't telling the full story. However, he didn't want to press her for more information for three reasons. One: he was still trying to convince himself that he didn't care. Two: he would be hypocritical to do so. And three: he was hoping that she trusted him enough to tell him on her own.

She did.

"And plus," She said, taking in a huge breath. "It's hard for me to make friends in other places. No one I knew from high school came to the same college as me. I'm not in any clubs or organizations because I'm busy with school work and my job at the library. And I'm shy. I get nervous to talk to people and I feel more comfortable by myself drawing or reading a book. That's it, really."

Killua nodded but didn't reply. There wasn't really anything to say to that.

"What about you?" She asked. "Do you have any other friends?"

He considered that for a moment. Gon? He was dead. Alluka? She was his sister so that didn't really count. Kurapika or Leorio? Maybe they were friends in the past, but that simply wasn't true anymore. He didn't have any friends.

"No."

"Why?"

There was no way in hell he was answering _that_. She waited for him to respond for several long minutes, but when he didn't, she crossed her arms and adopted a cute little pout on her face.

"Yeah no. Not good enough. I'm going to need an answer from you." She said quite stubbornly.

"Sorry to disappoint."

"I don't think you're sorry at all!"

"I'll never say another word against your cleverness again."

"You can't avoid the question with sass, mister." She was determined. "I told you all about my pathetic lack of friends so I think I deserve the same from you."

"No."

"It's not like I'd judge you! I'm sure you have a much better excuse than me. Is it because of your job as a hunter? Or does everyone just find you insufferable as I do?" When Killua didn't laugh or respond to that either, Hannah let out an exasperated laugh. "Oh come on, Killua! I was just trying to lighten the mood a little. I don't think you're insufferable I-"

She stopped herself before she could say too much. Killua raised an eyebrow, disappointed he didn't hear the end of that sentence. Then Hannah set her jaw and tilted her chin slightly up towards the sky.

"You leave me no choice." Her voice was dramatic in a comical sort of way. It made Killua want to start bursting out in laughter on the spot, but he was able to keep himself railed in. But still, she was awfully funny. "Either you tell me right now why you don't have any friends either, or I swear to God I will flip this canoe over."

"You realize that doesn't make any sense, right?"

"Yes it does. I'm sick of you dodging all my questions and being cryptic around me. I don't think I'm asking you too much here."

He shook his head. "No, I mean your threat doesn't make any sense. You flip the canoe over and we both get wet."

She paused as if she hadn't considered that outcome before.

"I'm willing to take that risk."

"How noble."

"Are you going to answer my question or not?"

"Not."

"Then you brought this upon yourself."

Without any further warning, Hannah gripped one side of the canoe and flung her body weight in the opposite direction, bringing the vessel toppling over with her. Killua was tossed into the water with a splash. The icy cold met his skin like a slap as he sunk beneath the surface briefly before floating back to the top to take a breath of air.

A moment later, the head of Hannah popped up above the water as well. Her teeth were already chattering.

"I-t's f-f-freezing." She said, body shaking violently in the cold. Killua resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead he flipped the canoe back over the right way and held out his hand to Hannah. She regarded it for a moment before taking it. He pulled her closer and then helped her back up onto the canoe. He followed in shortly after.

"T-thanks." She chattered.

He grabbed the paddle and started rowing back in the opposite direction, headed back for the docks.

"Still think that was a good idea?"

"Shut up."

XXX

Illumi was constantly amazed by how much his younger brother had grown up. He truly was quite proud of not-so-little-anymore Kil. Ever since he returned home, he had been a perfect assassin, completing missions as quickly and efficiently as any Zoldyck was capable. His younger brother had become quite the source of jealousy for Illumi. Until now of course.

Kil had gone off the books yet again. When their family's client- a strong fellow hiding his face in a metal mask- returned with the news that Killua had failed his mission and attempted to murder him instead, the family had been deeply disappointed. Mother had wailed and cried louder than when Killua stabbed her and ran away the first time. His father, Silva, had remained composed and sent Illumi to complete the mission in his brother's place.

And that was what brought him to the bustling streets and polluted air of York New City, marveling at just _how_ good his brother was. He left no trace of his presence in the city whatsoever. If it wasn't for Illumi's preexisting knowledge that Killua headed to York New to locate a certain book, he might have scratched the location entirely and went to search elsewhere. Kil made sure not to use the family credit card, checked into a hotel under a different name, and covered his tracks wherever he went.

But Illumi was good too. He knew that Kil must be staying somewhere. And so he walked into nearly every hotel in York New City, shot a needle in the head of a receptionist at the front desk, and demanded to know whether a 19 year old boy with white hair was staying there. This search had eventually led him to the Emerald Hotel, but not without a few missteps. Killua was sure to set up a few decoy hotels. At one of them- City Heights Hotel and Resort- the concierge led him up to the pent house suite where he swore up and down that Killua was inside. However, once Illumi walked into the room, a trap was sprung. Knives shot at his head. A bomb attached to his leg. Razor sharp needles shot up from the floor.

Kil certainly was learning how to be ruthless.

Nevertheless, Illumi made it to the Emerald Hotel, sure that this was where Killua was hanging his hat. And sure enough, when he pushed open the doors to the pent house suite, no traps were waiting for him. He inspected the room closely and thoroughly before arriving at a locked safe, hidden stereotypically beyond a painting of the city.

Illumi frowned as he quickly realized that the safe would not open easily. Not only was there the manual passcode protecting it, but Killua had also placed some sort of Nen Lock on it, ensuring that it would only open to his Nen and his Nen alone. Whatever was in there, Killua was hell bent on protecting it. The Book (which incidentally had information leading to the target) had to be inside.

Illumi considered his options. He could simply wait for Killua to return. But that would be boring. He wanted to give his little brother a surprise. His empty, black eyes scanned the room and lit up when he saw a little red light blinking on the land line phone sitting atop an end table. Illumi smirked.

He strode over to the phone and picked up the receiver, pressing play to hear the message left behind. It was the voice of Alluka- the monster his family had disowned.

"Hey big brother! I just wanted to wish you good luck before you go canoeing today with Hannah and remind you to have a good attitude! I know it seems stupid to you, but just try to let loose and have fun. Oh, and you better give me a call when you get back. We are staying in touch this time whether you like it or not!"

Click. The voicemail ended. Illumi's usually expressionless face was suddenly filled with a positively sinister smirk as he connected the dots. It was all too clear exactly why it was Kil failed his mission.

He was going to pay his little brother and his girlfriend a visit.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Yet another chapter down in the story! Part one is drawing to a close and that means things are going to start getting interesting! Hope you enjoyed the canoeing fluffiness.

I finished writing chapter 17 and oh my goodness it was a good one! There was something in there that I was dying to write for the longest time. I can't wait for you guys to read it. My apologies for being such a tease mwhaha.

Much love and gratitude for all my readers and reviewers who are with me for the long haul,

Ellie

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Hunter x Hunter- just my OCs and the plot:)


	9. Chapter 9: Red Water

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART ONE-  
**_

Chapter 9

Red Water

Killua quickly realized that Hannah Hazel was the kind of girl to be prepared for any and every situation. Apparently, she had packed beach towels in the back seat of her car just in case they ended up getting wet on their canoeing trip. Well, he wasn't about to complain.

Wrapped in the warmth of the beach towels, Killua and Hannah sat at a picnic table overlooking the Sonhud River. The lovely waterside park was lined with tall Maple trees and was lit in a soothing red-orange light as the sun began its descent towards the horizon.

"Feeling warmer yet?" Killua asked, surprised by the tone of concern that laced his voice. Hannah- who didn't have much body mass to begin with- had suffered way more than him in the icy waters of the river. He, of course, had been trained to endure all sorts of torture. Resistance to cold was definitely one of the most humane types out of the bunch. She, on the other hand, had been shivering like mad; her lips even started to turn blue. Thankfully, they had now returned to their normal pink color, but he still wanted to make sure she was alright.

"Much better, thanks." She replied with a hearty smile. "That was nothing. I take baths in water colder than that."

He let out a huff of laughter. "I'm sure you do. Otherwise you'd have to be an idiot to intentionally flip a canoe over in the middle of October."

"It was all part of the plan."

"And did that plan work out for you?"

"No. You're still being a stubborn jerk who, apparently, is impervious to the cold."

"Stubborn jerk, no. Impervious to the cold, yes." Killua said with a crooked smile. Hannah shook her head in exasperation.

"Alright, alright, how about I give you two choices?" She said, coming up with a new idea. "Option number one is you tell me why you are a loner just like me. Or you can pick option number two where you tell me what was in that book you were reading the first time we met."

"You still held up on that?"

"Yes! I'm curious about what can be so terrible or top secret that you refuse to give me even a clue."

"I can assure you that it's probably much less interesting than what you are imagining."

That was a blatant lie. The contents of the book would interest her _very_ much; after all, it was all about her. It exposed the truth that she was Gon's twin sister, another daughter of Ging. From the way Hannah talked, it was clear that she had no clue that she was really adopted. The information inside that book would throw her entire life upside down. Plus there was the fact that a psychotic killer was after her. There was no way in hell he was letting her in on any of _that_.

He wanted to just turn her down again and change the subject. But then he saw the look in her eyes. She was begging him, pleading with the sparkling glow of her hazel spheres. It was so not fair when she pulled out that look.

"Alright fine." He said, unable to believe what he was doing. But the truth was he acted differently when he was around her. He was more open, honest, relaxed. He trusted her. He trusted her enough to tell a story that he had never told anyone. Not even his own sister. "I'll go with option number one."

She suddenly sat up straighter and her eyes lit up with happiness. Too bad he was only going to depress her with the truth.

"The first thing you should know is that my family is screwed up. Like massively screwed up. Growing up, they wouldn't let me have any friends."

"What? Why?"

"A lot of reasons that I'm not going to get in to, so don't ask. Anyway I ran away from home when I was twelve to take the Hunter Exam. That was when I met my first friend, Gon. We quickly became best friends. We travelled together, fought together, pretty much lived together for the better part of six years. But then-"

He paused for a moment. He didn't anticipate how difficult this would be.

"But then?" Hannah prompted him, encouragingly. Killua found the strength to continue.

"Gon was always dead set on finding his father, a man named Ging. Ging wasn't around for Gon growing up and he spent a good deal of time searching for him. I helped. Eventually Gon and Ging met. I thought that was the end of it, but then a few years later Gon and I were on a job when we met someone who told us a pretty unflattering story about Ging. Gon, of course, needed to find out whether it was true or not. We went searching for his dad yet again. But we never found him."

Killua took a pause in his story. Hannah waited for him to finish, but when the silence drug on for long enough she asked him quietly, "Why not?"

He looked at her solemnly. He shrugged off the beach towel that had been resting on his shoulders and set it down carefully onto the picnic table. "We ran into one of Ging's old acquaintances first. Not a friendly guy. He killed Gon. There was nothing I could do to stop it."

Hannah tugged her tangerine beach towel tighter around her shoulders, as if desperate for the warmth. Her eyes were distant. Killua sighed, wishing he wasn't having this conversation right now. He adopted a brisk tone to end the discussion.

"Ever since then I haven't felt too friendly. I hope that answers your question."

His words were met with silence. He examined her face, waiting for the look of pity or the "I'm so sorry" that people always loved to give out whenever they looked at him. But neither came. It was strange. He would have bet a lot of money that Hazel was the kind of girl to hand out apologies and condolence like they were spare change. But she didn't. He was grateful for that. He didn't need comfort or pity. He'd lived his whole life without it, so there was no need now.

"I wasn't being completely honest with you." She said finally. Her voice was barely more than a whisper and her eyes were cast down at the clasped hands she held in her lap. "You asked me why I don't have any real friends. What I said was true but… there's more to it than that.

"Growing up, I had a best friend. Her name was Claire. But… she died the summer before we went to high school. She committed suicide." Hannah paused, choking slightly on her words. She took a deep breath and continued. "I blamed myself. I- I clearly wasn't a good enough friend to her. I wasn't even enough for her to want to live. Maybe if I had done something differently, maybe if I had been a better friend… Well, I guess I just don't trust myself enough anymore to be someone's friend."

Hannah still refused to look at him; he could see tears starting to water around her eyes. Everything about her suddenly made so much more sense. He had been so obsessed with himself and his own problems that he had no clue that this girl had gone through and was still suffering from something similar. She lost her best friend too. He thought she was going to be too choked up to say anything else, but Hannah Hazel continued to speak.

"I don't want to pretend that I know exactly what you're going through. I remember hating it whenever someone fed me that line. But I do know a little bit of how you feel and… I'm here for you. I didn't ever think I'd ever have a real friend ever again, but here we are."

"Here we are." Killua repeated quietly.

They sat in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company as they remembered their fallen friends. Eventually Hannah broke the quiet.

"I never thought we'd actually become friends, you know. I thought you were too cool or withdrawn. If I'm being honest, that's probably why I trusted myself to be around you in the first place."

"What makes you think we're friends?" Killua still wasn't convinced of that himself.

"I just know." She replied. "It feels pretty good, don't you think?"

Killua never got a chance to answer that question. He never sensed the aura. He only heard the whizzing of the wind. But that was enough to react.

He grabbed a needle out of the air just before it pierced through the back of Hannah's head. She didn't even have time to register what was going on, let alone scream.

Killua got to his feet at once to face the figure that was slowly emerging from the trees. Hannah remained seated at the picnic table, but turned her head around to see what was going on.

"Killua-?"

"Illumi." Killua growled.

Sure enough, the figure was his eldest brother, dressed in dark green. Anger exploded through Killua's body. It was all he could do to keep himself from murdering his brother on the spot. Illumi tried to kill Hannah. He was probably sent to complete his little brother's mission. Somehow he knew that Hannah was the real target. But how? He had made sure that the book was locked up safe…

"Kil." The older Zoldyck's voice was whimsical and silky. "I wish we could have met under better circumstances, little brother. But I'm afraid the reason for our meeting is quite somber indeed."

"Killua? This guy is… you're brother?" Hannah echoed in shock, not recognizing how dire the current situation was.

"I'm not going to let you touch her." Killua focused only on Illumi, ignoring the girl he stepped in front of defensively. All he felt at the moment was a vicious urge to protect Hazel. He didn't know if it was because she was Gon's sister or if their talk about friendship was actually getting to him, but he just knew. He would do anything to make sure she was safe.

"I'm not sure what is worse, Kil." Illumi shook his head in a mocking sorrow. "The fact that you failed your mission. Or the reason _why_ you failed your mission. Caring for a target? You've brought disgrace to the Zoldyck Family."

"Zoldyck Family?" Hannah repeated softly. For a vain moment, he hoped that she wouldn't connect the dots. But she was way too smart not to. He glanced back at her and saw the exact moment everything changed for her. Horror struck across her face. Terror filled her eyes. And it wasn't directed at Illumi. It was him. She was scared of him. "No. Killua- you-"

"Damn it." He said as he turned back to the immediate threat, who was wearing a delighted smile on his face. A smile that enjoyed watching things break.

"Oops. I guess she didn't know. My bad."

Killua was seething with so much anger that he was shocked the ground beneath him didn't catch fire.

"You are going to leave." He said to his brother, voice low and dangerous. "You are going to leave and never threaten Hannah again. I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm stronger. And I _will_ kill you."

"I am a Zoldyck. Just like you, Kil. We always complete our mission. It seems you have forgotten that."

Killua didn't waste any more time on pleasantries. He didn't bother to warm up into the fight and he didn't hold back. Immediately, he used Godspeed. Feeling the electricity pulsing through his veins, he surged with inhuman velocity at his brother.

He relished the sensation of punching Illumi right in the jaw. He felt immense satisfaction as he kicked him in the gut. All the hatred he ever felt towards his brother, he unleashed at that moment, slapping Illumi around like a punching bag that was about to burst. He was so caught up in inventing new moves to pound his brother with that he almost missed hearing the high pitched scream rattling out behind him.

Illumi smirked. "You were the great hope for our family. Of course I know you are stronger. That is why I didn't come to this fight alone."

A shot of horror pierced through Killua's heart. At lightning fast speed, he whirled around to check on Hannah.

She was knocked onto the ground and was passed out cold. Or maybe dead. He couldn't tell. Blood was spilling from her torso, seeping through her shirt. It was a bullet hole. Someone shot her. His eyes flew across the clearing to where someone was standing with a gun. The person had one of Illumi's needles sticking out of his forehead. He was being controlled. Illumi brought one of his mind slaves to the fight to kill Hannah while Killua was distracted.

He didn't have time to be angry at his brother just yet. The mind-slave fired another shot, aimed squarely at Hannah's head this time.

Killua threw himself towards her, outrunning the bullet to reach her just in time. He grabbed the bullet straight out of the air, inches before it would pierce through her skull. He crushed the bullet in his clenched fist.

Next, he directed a bolt of lightning at the mind-slave. It didn't matter that this was another innocent person being controlled by his brother. He was a threat. The threat fell to the ground dead.

Now he returned to where his brother was slouched against a tree trunk, barely conscious after the beating Killua handed him. He released Godspeed and walked towards him slowly and deliberately, brainstorming all the different ways he could kill him. He decided to keep it classic, sharping the nails of one hand into claws sharper than a dagger.

He looked down on his brother, wondering if this was how Illumi felt looking down on him for so many years. He was weak. Helpless. However, Illumi held no fear in his eyes. There was no emotion whatsoever. At least that hadn't changed.

"You can't kill me, Kil." Illumi said, face stark and eyes wide. "It is forbidden for one Zoldyck to kill another."

"I'm not a Zoldyck anymore." Killua said. "And I never will be again."

He pulled his razor-sharp hand back, but just before he could thrust it through Illumi's heart, he heard a weak voice whimpering behind him. It was Hannah. She had regained consciousness. She was _alive._

"No." Her voice was raspy and forced. "Don't… kill… him. You're not… a murderer."

He froze. A smirk spread across Illumi's face.

"Everyone has a weakness, Kil. I just found yours."

Killua punched Illumi in the forehead, knocking him out cold. Angry and bitter, Killua picked him up and carried him toward the river bank. He grabbed one of the canoeing life vests and strapped it around his brother before tossing him into the river. Slowly, Illumi floated out of sight, his head barely bobbing above the water.

Hopefully by the time Illumi woke up, he'd be in the Atlantic. If the universe was on Killua's side, perhaps a shark would eat his brother. But then again, the universe never seemed to be on his side.

Cursing himself for already wasting too much time, he hurried over to Hannah's side. Illumi's mind-slave must've been a bad shot. The bullet had only grazed her side, just below her rib cage. Her luck must be must better than his.

Regardless, he needed to get her back to safety. And hope that she wasn't going to be too angry when she woke up.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Whoa, this chapter took far too long to be posted. Sorry about that! I've just been so busy these past couple weeks that I didn't even have the time to edit this chapter let alone write new ones:( And that is saying something since this chapter was shorter than usual. I'll get the next one up as soon ASAP to make up for the wait!**

 **AND speaking of the next chapter, part one is almost finished. Hannah found out that Killua is a Zoldyck! Yikes. Any guesses on how she is going to take the news? And Hannah was shot. Not a good weak for our heroine, huh? At least there was some serious Killua butt-kicking action.**

 **Thanks again for all the support!**

 **See yah again next time,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter**


	10. Chapter 10: Waking Up

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART ONE-  
**_

Chapter 10

Waking Up

 _Hannah's black dress fit her poorly. Loose around the chest and long around her knees, the dress made the fourteen year old girl look the same as she felt. Overwhelmed._

 _The funeral was nice. It was being held in the local church. Stained glass windows, wooden pews, a grand organ looming along the eastern wall. Natural light was streaming through the windows, but the space still felt dark. Maybe it was because all the people gathered inside were wearing black. Maybe it was because the somber music floating around the room felt like a pessimistic thought. Maybe it was because a glistening red wood coffin was situated at the head of the room among dozens of white lilies._

 _It was open casket. Legs wavering, Hannah slowly rose from her seat and hobbled towards the coffin, following in suit of the other faceless people paying their last respects. Her breath caught as she saw the face of her best friend nestled in a bed of plush white. Claire's cheeks were full and rosy. Her dark skin was flawless like a new doll. The girl looked prettier in death than she ever had in life. The sight was eerie and wrong._

 _Claire's eyes were closed as if she were only sleeping. Hannah wished that she was only sleeping. Tears welled up around the living girl's eyes and she turned away from the casket. She would never see her best friend again._

 _She returned to her seat next to her mom and sat down. Her mom grabbed her hand and squeezed it, but Hannah didn't register the gesture. She couldn't feel it. She couldn't feel much of anything right now._

 _The procession started before she could process what was happening. Claire's older brother was standing at the podium, addressing the crowd gathered to mourn, telling stories about the little sister he lost. Hannah could barely hear the words he was speaking, but she cried anyway. Her dad offered her a tissue. She took it, but never used it to wipe the tears away._

 _The guilt she felt was suffocating. She didn't understand. She didn't understand why this was happening or what had gone wrong, but she knew it was her fault. She racked her brain for all the events that led up to this moment, all the things she should have done differently. She was Claire's best friend. She should have noticed when her friend declined her invitation to see a movie two weeks ago. She should have noticed when her friend excused herself from History class eight days ago with blotchy makeup around her eyes. She should have done something when Claire started skipping school five days ago. She should have done something more when Claire stopped texting her back…_

 _She knew that Claire always struggled in her classes. She knew that Claire was recently rejected by the guy she liked. She knew Claire was always made fun of in school. She knew that Claire never felt like she belonged anywhere. She knew that Claire didn't have a good relationship with her parents._

 _But she never knew just how bad everything had gotten. She never did anything about it._

 _And it all led up to that moment: the worst moment of Hannah's young life. The memory of that night shuddered through her body like a shard of ice. She was woken up by her parents at 2:34 AM three nights ago and was delivered the worst news she was likely ever to receive. She got in the backseat of her parent's minivan and was driven to the hospital. But it was too late. By the time she got there, the bullet Claire put through her own head proved to be fatal. She was long since dead._

 _From that moment, to the funeral, to years and years later, that feeling of absolute dread never left her. It was a turning point. A singular moment when everything she thought she knew no longer existed. And when everything she never dared dream, persisted._

XXX

Have you ever had that feeling of relief after you wake up from a nightmare and realize that it was all just a dream? That was what Hannah was going through. Except it wasn't a dream. So yeah, it was all pretty much just a nightmare.

It took her a moment to process where she was as she slowly fluttered open her eyes. Sleek surfaces. Fancy furniture. Sparkling chandelier. A lot of green. She was in a hotel room- on an extremely comfortable king sized bed no less. She felt a stabbing pain on her side. It felt there were a million needles laced with poison poking into that one spot just below her rib cage. And she wasn't even being dramatic. It hurt _that_ bad.

The only thing that hurt more was seeing _him_. Killua was sitting rigidly in an armchair in the corner of the bedroom, not paying attention to her awakening. He was staring out the window instead. Following his gaze, Hannah saw a collage of tall, oblique York New Skyscrapers. She could easily tell that they must be near the top of a skyscraper themselves.

"How are you feeling?" Killua asked without looking at her. A jolt of panic surged through her. So he did realize that she'd woken up. Creepy…

Suddenly even more fear and panic began to take over her body as recent memories flooded back into her mind. Her heart started to pound. Her muscles tightened. A feeling of dread dropped her heart to the floor.

Killua was an assassin. Not just any assassin. He was a _Zoldyck_ \- the most powerful and dangerous family of assassins in the world. She believed it too after seeing Killua fight yesterday. She had never really understood what aura was before seeing him ignite in blue lightning. He had been so strong. So fast. And so ruthless. He would have killed his own brother if she hadn't stopped him…

And that just got her thinking. About something Illumi had said. He mentioned that Killua failed to kill his target. Was it possible… no it couldn't be…Was _she_ the target? It would explain why Killua put up with her in the first place. It would explain why he was so reluctant to tell her about his mission. No, no, no, it couldn't be true. Was Killua supposed to assassinate her?

Tears started to form around her eyes. She was so frightened. She wanted to get out of bed and run away and never come back, but she couldn't even move and inch because of her injury. It hurt a great deal to just breathe let alone try to make a getaway.

There was nothing she could do. She just had to wait and see what Killua was going to do next. Was he going to kill her? Or was he going to tell her what the hell was really going on? She hoped desperately for the latter, but taking in the sight of Killua's face- dark, hateful, doused in shadow- she wasn't feeling too optimistic.

"I feel fine." She lied, not wanting to show weakness. She was surprised to find that her voice was tart and even. On the inside she felt like a crying baby.

"Your injury?"

"It hurts, but it'll heal." Understatement of the century.

Killua drifted back into silence, continuing to stare out at the dark, starless sky. Hannah vaguely wondered what time it was. She had no clue how long she had been passed out. However long it was, Killua hadn't killed her yet. That had to be a good sign, right? She didn't dare ask him though. She waited patiently for him to speak again.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" He asked bluntly. "You should be asking questions. Screaming. Crying. Something. Aren't you scared of me?"

"Yes." Hannah surprised herself by telling the truth. "But I'm still alive. No matter who you are, you saved my life. You can't be all bad."

Killua laughed. It was a harsh, sarcastic sound that did nothing to lighten the mood. " _You_ would put it like that."

"If I do ask questions, will you answer them?" Hannah was encouraged. She could still see the Killua she had come to know in his words. She had to try to understand where he was coming from before she wrote him off as a murderer. There are so many things that she didn't understand. This whole situation was one of them. With a bullet hole in her side and the company of an assassin, the most she could hope for was some answers.

"Depends on the question."

"Is it true? Are you a member of the Zoldyck family?" She asked the question even though she was already convinced of the answer.

"Yes."

"And you work as an assassin?"

"I used to. Not anymore."

"Were you assigned to assassinate me?"

There was a pause.

"Yes."

Hannah gulped. That confirmation should have sent another stab of fear through her soul, but surprisingly she relaxed upon hearing the truth.

"So that first date we went on..?"

"I was planning on killing you then."

"Why didn't you?"

Life was strange. One moment you are canoeing down a river with the guy you liked and the next you are calmly discussing his plans to murder you.

"I don't know." Killua admitted. For the first time, he looked unsure of himself. He was always so confident (some would even prefer the words cocky or arrogant) but now deep lines ran across his forehead and his lips were pressed together in either guilt or confusion. Maybe both.

"I'm going to need a better answer than that." Hannah was surprising herself all over the place. She didn't know who had possessed her body for this conversation, but she was so glad he/she did.

"I don't have a better answer. I just didn't want to kill you. I didn't want you to be dead."

Hannah was smart enough to know that there was more to the story, but that was good enough for now. It still freaked her out and horrified her to no end to know what Killua's intentions had been originally. She doubted she could ever get over that. But at least she knew that he felt differently now. He had saved her life. He'd made sure her injury was tended to. Maybe he actually did care for her? She didn't know if that thought pleased or terrified her.

"Why were you supposed to kill me? I'm nothing special."

The white-haired assassin paused and considered something for a moment before shaking his head.

"That's classified information. All I can tell you is that a man who I don't even know the identity of wanted you dead to fulfill a personal vendetta."

"A personal vendetta? What could I have possibly done to-?"

"Absolutely nothing. This has nothing to do with you."

"Someone wants me dead! It has everything to do with me! What's the classified information? I deserve to know."

"You deserve to never find out." He corrected her. "Drop it."

"I can't just 'drop it'! If I'm going to be assassinated I want to know why."

"You're not going to die. I won't let anyone harm you. That Man doesn't know your real identity. I can ensure that he will never find out. No one will."

"Then why'd your brother try to kill me?"

"I made a mistake and he exploited it. I won't let something like that happen again."

"And I'm supposed to just take your word for it? Go back to my apartment and live my life like nothing ever happened?"

"Yes. I'll protect you."

"And that's another thing." Hannah was gaining steam. "You've done a complete 360. First you want to kill me and now you want to save me. What's up with that?"

"I told you. I don't want you dead."

"Not good enough. That only explains why you didn't kill me, not why you want to go out of your way to save me."

Killua scoffed. "Is it so hard to believe that I want to help you out?"

"Earlier today I would have said no, but now it's a different story. I just found out that you are an assassin who has apparently come back to the light side. I've seen Star Wars enough time to know that doesn't normally happen- except with Darth Vader, but that is definitely not the point!" Hannah stopped her rant for a moment to catch her breath. After collecting herself, she continued more slowly. "Your brother said the reason you failed your mission was because you cared too much about your target. He wouldn't happen to be right, would he?"

"You're impossible." Killua mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Answer the question."

Killua tried ignoring her again, but Hannah wasn't about to take it.

"Answer the question." She repeated with more force. He still didn't respond. She raised her voice even more. "Damn it Killua, just answer the stupid-"

"He was right!" Killua shouted, cutting her off. Suddenly, the ghostly boy came back to life, standing up from his seat and clenching his fists. He walked over to the bed so that he could stand directly over her. Hannah suddenly started to think that she had pushed him too far.

"Killua-"

"He was right." He repeated. "I didn't kill you because I started to like you. I care about you alright?! But a fat lot of good that does us right now. You know who I am. You have a good idea about what I've done. All that's left is for you to heal and then go home. I swear to protect your identity. You can live your life in peace. I won't interfere."

He looked at her with such intensity that Hannah's heart rate started to pick up again. But this time it wasn't because of fear. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to respond to that. Her mouth opened, forming a small "O", but she didn't speak any words. Killua ran his fingers through his hair, messing up the chalky sheets even more. He took a few steps back and leaned against the wall.

Several minutes passed without any speaking. Hannah spent that time thinking. Eventually another question popped into her mind.

"That couple that was murdered on the night of that first date. That was you, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I thought that I could trick the client into thinking that the girl was you. It didn't work."

"And the guy she was with?"

"Collateral damage."

"I see."

Hannah drifted into another state of thinking. Eventually she came up with another question.

"Were you telling the truth? About your best friend that died?"

"I wouldn't lie about that."

Slowly, she was starting to put together the pieces of who Killua was. Her image of him in her mind was so much clearer now. It made so much more sense. There was still a sense of mystery to him, but that was just a part of who he was.

She really did believe that he had a good heart. He just had rotten luck and was born into a terrible family who gave him a terrible childhood. He ran away from home when he was twelve and made his first real friend. But when that friend died he returned to the only thing he still knew: being an assassin. It was tragic how much sense it made. Her heart was filled with sympathy.

But her mind couldn't forget that the reason they met was because he wanted to kill her. Her mind couldn't let go of the quantity of people he must have killed. Her mind couldn't get over the fact that he would kill innocents just because it was convenient to.

Her heart was breaking in two. She finally found someone- someone that she could relate to, someone she enjoyed being with, someone that made her happy. And now she found out that she could never be with that person again.

"How long should it take my side to heal?"

"The doctor said two weeks."

"Then I'm going to need you to bring me my laptop and text books." She said, catching him off guard.

"Sure, but why?"

"I'm going to need them to stay caught up on my schoolwork. If I am stuck here for two weeks without any study materials, I am going to be so far behind in all of my classes."

"Seriously? That's what you're worried about?" Killua responded blankly.

"Yep. And I'll have to text my roommates and say that I'm taking a sudden vacation or something like that…"

"… Okay?"

"And then once I'm healed, I'll go back to my normal life." Her voice started to get choked up as she looked at Killua directly. "I'm sorry, but you're right. I don't think I can ever get over knowing what you've done. I wish I could, but I just don't think I have it in me. And it's a shame because… well, I really did care about you too, Killua."

He didn't say anything. He just stood there, leaning against the wall, drinking in her appearance. His face was a blank page. Finally he nodded.

"I'll let you get some sleep." Then he walked out of the room without another word, closing the door gently behind him.

Another pang of sorrow hit her heart.

She already missed him.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **And there you have it, folks! Part One is now complete! So what did you think of the first big chunk of this three part tale? Let me know with a PM or review:) I can't wait for you guys to see what's in store for Part Two, but I can ensure you now that it is going to be EPIC.**

 **I'm almost done writing the second part I just have two more chapters to go. I'm behind on my writing schedule (I just moved into my new apartment and so the past few days have been consumed by constant packing and unpacking) but thankfully I am still way ahead of what is currently posted so updates should continue to be fairly frequent.**

 **This story has gotten a lot more attention than I thought it would, and for that, I am extremely appreciative of everyone. From my regular reviewers to the people who take time out of their day to skim through the chapters, I just want to say THANKS.**

 **Much adoration and gratitude,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter or its characters**


	11. Chapter11:Corruption is a Two Way Street

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART TWO-  
**_

Chapter 11

Corruption is a Two Way Street

There wasn't a Wiki How article online titled "How to Act when you Find Out the Guy You Like is a Professional Assassin and was Seriously Considering Murdering You on Your First Date with Him". Hannah checked.

Instead the internet was packed with ordinary relationship blogs and advice columns that didn't quite encompass the complexity of Hannah's situation. After hours of killing time on her laptop, she was an expert on how to break up with a clingy boyfriend and salvage a failing relationship, but she still had no clue what to do about Killua.

Originally, she had made up her mind to get as far away from him as possible. That was the sensible solution, right? The moment she was able to walk again after her injury, she planned to be out the door quicker than you could say "please don't kill me I'm too young to die". But as the days passed and her injury healed, she had become more and more reluctant to leave her spot in Killua's bed. And it wasn't just because the bed was ridiculously soft and located in the penthouse suite of the famously fancy Emerald hotel. It also wasn't because her pillow sort of smelled like him. Minty and fresh. Cool and masculine. No, no, those were contributing factors, but the real reason she didn't want to leave was Killua himself.

He had been… different ever since she found out the truth. He wasn't so cold anymore. He was less likely to make a scathing remark and more likely to bring her a cheeseburger and fries from a fast food joint to eat in bed with the TV on. Seriously. Life wasn't all that bad in the Killua Zoldyck assassin hangout hotel.

For the most part Killua left her alone and gave her some space, but he would frequently stop by to check on her injury. Turns out he had a private doctor come in and heal her in the first place and made sure that the same man kept dropping by to check on the wound. Since Hannah was prescribed a lot of medication and bedrest, Killua would pretty much give her anything she asked for. And he'd do it without the ordinary one worded answers and blunt sarcasm. Water? He'd go and get her a glass with her requested number of ice cubes. Too cold? He'd go grab her a blanket. Stressed about school? He'd help her with her homework.

 _That_ had probably been one of the things to surprise her most. It happened a couple of days ago when Hannah was trying to finish a homework assignment for Genetics. It was to be completed and submitted online, so she could do her work from the comfort of a King-sized mattress. However, the problem was that she had missed a couple lectures due to her confinement. Apparently, she had been making a lot of loud noises- presumably groans of frustration and over exaggerated sighs. Killua had heard and was in the room a few seconds later to check on her.

"You okay?" He had asked.

"I _hate_ Genetics! I hate it! It was all good fun back in freshman Bio when all we had to do was Punnet squares, but now it's just ridiculous! I have no idea what this problem is talking about-"

"You're this upset over one stupid homework problem?"

"Yes." Hannah was breathing hard after her rant, still so frustrated that she was unable to feel embarrassed.

"Why can't you just skip it? Get one wrong. Save yourself the stress."

"What? That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard. I can't do that. I have a GPA to maintain."

Killua rolled his eyes. He walked over and sat on the foot of the bed. "Show me the problem."

Hannah let out a snort of laughter. "Don't tell me you're a master of Molecular Genetics."

"Not yet." He murmured, reading the question off of her laptop screen. Next he grabbed the open text book lying next to her and scanned his eyes along its pages. About five minutes later a satisfied smirk lit up his face and he typed in an answer on the online homework. A little green check mark popped up onto the screen. He had gotten the problem right. Hannah's mouth dropped open in amazement.

"H-how did you..?"

He shrugged and then got up. "If you need any more help just ask."

He closed the door behind him, leaving her flabbergasted and just a little bit irritated. Since that moment she added "frustratingly intelligent" to the list of all the new things she was learning about Killua.

Also on that list was the fact that Killua had a younger sister who had left the Zoldyck family as well. She dropped by over the weekend like a flurry of energy, fussing over a flustered Killua and insisting on meeting Hannah. Much to her brother's protest, she burst through the doors of the bedroom and instantly rushed to Hannah's side, kind dark eyes filled with a mixture of concern and… gratitude?

"You must be Hannah!" She said, hands clasped over her chest. She was a pretty teenage girl with silky black hair and a purple kimono just as shiny. She was probably only about a year younger than her. "Killua's told me so much about you!"

"He has?"

"Well, not exactly, but he did mention you! And these days that means a lot with Killua. I sort of filled in the blanks myself. I can tell he really cares about you! No one knows my brother better than me- you're really good for him, you know? I don't know where he'd be right now without you-"

"Alright that's enough." Killua said abruptly. Hannah almost hadn't noticed that he had been listening to the whole conversation. Alluka had been such a bundle of energy that she didn't notice the pale boy lingering by the door.

"But Hannah and I are just starting to get to know each other." Alluka complained, letting her childish side come through. "I can already tell we are going to be such good friends."

"You need to be getting back to school. It's a long trip. You shouldn't have come in the first place."

"It's good to see you too, big brother." Alluka spat her tongue out at him.

Presently, Hannah smiled at the memory. It was simply adorable to see how Killua treated his younger sister. He was gentle and kind. It was a side of him that she wasn't used to seeing. She had experienced it a few times before she found out that he was a Zoldyck, but she had brushed that off as an act. But if he could act that way with his younger sibling, then maybe what kindness he did show her was genuine as well? It seemed like wishful thinking, but Hannah was known for her wishfulness…

All in all, it had been a week and a half since the mind-slave shot her (Killua tried explaining the whole Illumi needle thing to her, but the concept of nen didn't quite resonate with her understanding of the world). The wound still stung a little, but there was hardly any pain anymore. She could even roll over on her side without screaming in agony.

She lifted up her T-Shirt and poked at her injury. It was actually feeling _really_ good today. Maybe she could try standing up.

Slowly and carefully, Hannah pulled the covers off of her and placed her feet on the floor. With equal care she shifted her weight from the bed onto her feet, standing up. A shot of pain hit her like a truck, but it wasn't too bad. She took a couple steps forward. She was doing it! She was walking.

It wasn't until then that she noticed the voices coming from the living area on the other side of the bedroom door.

 _What perfect timing. I wonder what's going on out there._ She thought as she slowly lumbered towards the door. What she found in the living room surprised her.

Killua was being held in a tight embrace by a much taller man in a suit. The sight actually made Hannah giggle a little because the snowy haired assassin was definitely not enjoying the hug. His face was irritated and his arms were pinned down to his sides.

Off to the side stood another man, appearing to be somewhere in his early to mid-twenties. He was also wearing a suite, but was much more serious looking with stern brown eyes and sleek blonde hair down to his shoulders.

When Killua saw her standing in the doorway, he quickly pushed away the taller man and looked at her in surprise. "Hazel? What are you doing out of bed? Is your side-"

"It's okay." She replied, ignoring the twinge in her heart upon hearing Killua use his nickname for her. "Really good actually. It doesn't hurt too much. Who-?"

Killua cut her off and was suddenly at her side, wrapping an arm around her waist to help her move towards the couch. She hardly had enough time to be embarrassed or flustered by the fact that he was holding her so close because she couldn't help but stare at the new visitors. Who were they? Were they Killua's friends? It looked like it, but didn't he say he didn't have any friends? Or was that some sort of secret assassin code she didn't know about?

"Thanks." She said as he helped her take her seat on the velvety green couch. She let out a soft sigh of relief as the pain beneath her ribcage subsided, feeling a wave of exhaustion crash over her. Man, that little walk took a lot out of her. Kneeling in front of her, Killua looked at her carefully with only the slightest touch of condescension.

"That wasn't very smart, you know. You could have accidentally reopened the wound."

The tall man in the suit wasted no more time being silent.

"Well how about we get straight down to business. Killua, I feel betrayed. How dare you call a different doctor to heal your girlfriend instead of me?!"

Killua said "She's not my girlfriend" at the same time Hannah said "I'm not his girlfriend". They shared a look but instantly turned away.

"Still, there is no excuse!" The man said, although his tone softened a little bit and his face was pure smirk. "From now on, I'm her doctor. I didn't spend four years in medical school for nothing, you know. Now let me check out this injury. Gunshot wound, you said Killua?"

"Yes." He replied. "And I apologize for not contacting you first, Leorio, but I didn't want you two to get involved in this."

"Involved in what?" The blonde had been standing silently in the corner before voicing the question. He gave Hannah the chills. She liked this Leorio guy much better. It was never a bad thing when someone put Killua in his place.

"It's none of your concern." Killua replied. Leorio scowled.

"Like hell it isn't. I'll deal with you in a second, punk."

Leorio turned away from the teen and knelt down on the floor in front of Hannah with a smile. He was wearing glasses with small circular frames and had short, spiky black hair.

"Hey. I'm Leorio." He put out a hand for her to shake.

"Hannah Hazel." She replied, shaking his hand. "But if you are a doctor, shouldn't you be introducing yourself as Dr. Leorio, or something like that?"

"Nah. A friend of Killua's is a friend of mine. That means you get the first name."

"I didn't know Killua had any other friends." Hannah said, throwing a sideways glance at Killua, remembering their conversation on the canoe. He just rolled his eyes.

"He likes to pretend like he doesn't. But Kurapika and I have known him since he was twelve."

That number ringed a bell in her head. "That's how old Killua was when he took the hunter exam. Is that, by chance, where you met?"

"Smart girl." Leorio said, examining the wound. He also went through a brief process of checking Hannah's blood pressure, heart rate and a whole bunch of other doctor things. "Yep, that's where we met. Kurapika and I passed the exam that year, but poor Killua failed."

"He did?!" Hannah's eyes lit up at the idea that Killua wasn't always perfect.

"And then I went back the next year and defeated all 1,488 applicants by myself."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"But why did you fail the first time?" Hannah was just teasing him, prodding for some weakness in his armor, but what she got was anything but that.

"I killed somebody. It got me disqualified."

"Oh." Hannah said again. The temperature in the room dropped about ten million degrees.

Leorio cleared his throat. "In any case you're healing nicely, Hannah. I'd say it's about time to start some physical therapy to get you back moving around freely again. I'll write up a list of exercises that'll help build up those abdominal muscles again."

"Sweet. Thank you."

Leorio smiled at her kindly before standing up and staring down Killua once more. It was like he had a mental switch that turned on his anger.

"And for the last time Killua _, we are your friends_." Leorio growled at the assassin. "Whether you like it or not it's the goddamn truth. Nothing you say or do will change that. So now, tell us what the hell is going on so we can help you out."

"Sure." Killua said, surprising everyone in the room. He sat down on the couch next to Hannah and gestured for Leorio and Kurapika to do the same.

"Oh, uh alright then. Good."

Killua jumped right into the story with a business-like briskness. "I came to York New on an assassination mission from my family. Our client asked us to kill a certain person, however he didn't know the exact identity of the person. Through some research I identified the target as Hannah."

Leorio gasped in shock. "What?! What she got to do with anything?"

Killua ignored him. "As you can see I didn't complete the mission. Instead I attempted to kill the client instead. I used a fake body to convince the client to show himself. We fought. I lost."

"You did?" The disbelief in Leorio's voice was palpable. Even the always cool and collected Kurapika showed signs of surprise. Hannah had gotten the vibe that Killua was a powerful hunter, but just how strong was he to prompt such disbelief that he would lose a single fight?

"Yeah. The client is powerful. He wears a metal mask to conceal his identity."

"So like an evil Iron Man then." Hannah commented. She was met with blank stares. "Never mind." She mumbled, deciding it was best that she remain quiet.

"This man." Kurapika said. "The one in the Metal Mask. He killed Gon, didn't he?"

The shadows on Killua's face became darker. He nodded once. Hannah's heart stopped. Leorio gulped.

Hannah remembered her conversation with Killua by the river. Gon was his best friend who died. To think that the man who killed him also wanted to kill her… Things were beginning to make even less sense than before…

Killua continued talking. "He spared my life and returned to my family to get another Zoldyck to complete the mission. Illumi tracked me down to this hotel room and heard a voice mail from my sister that led him to believe Hannah was the target and where our location would be. He attempted to kill her. That was when one of his mind-slaves shot her. I defeated him but didn't kill him. He'll know that I'll be protecting Hannah 24/7. I'm guessing he'll return home and inform the rest of my family about the situation. I wouldn't be surprised if my father or grandfather show up to kill Hannah soon. Zoldycks always complete the mission. They won't stop until she's dead."

That sent another chill down Hannah's spine. Her mind was a flurry of thought, but the underlying message was somewhere along the lines of _Why me? Why does this have to happen to me?_ They were talking about killing and death as if it were common in everyday life, a normal occurrence that was expected, not feared. It was so strange. Suddenly Hannah wondered if Leorio and Kurapika had killed people too in the past. Maybe killing was normal for Hunters. Maybe she had overreacted about Killua being an assassin? Leorio and Kurapika obviously knew and didn't care.

Kurapika nodded, taking all of this in. "So what are you going to do?"

"Go home." Killua answered. "Hopefully I put Illumi out of commission long enough so that I get there before him. I'll talk to my family. Try to convince them to drop the mission."

"You really think that they will?" Leorio asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No." Killua admitted. "But I'll give it a shot anyway."

"And if they refuse?" Kurapika nodded.

"I'll use other means to convince them."

The way Killua said it made it clear what he meant. He would fight.

"Then let us come with you." Leorio said immediately. "We'll help you. Whatever it takes."

"Whatever it takes?"

"Of course. Just name what you need us to do."

"Good. I need you and Kurapika to stay here while I'm gone. Protect Hannah."

"What?! No, that's not what I meant!" Leorio immediately protested. "You little bastard! This is what you wanted all along. The only reason you called me to doctor up Hannah is because you also wanted us to babysit her while you go risk your life."

"I'm not risking my life." Killua rolled his eyes. "Zoldycks don't kill each other. It's one of our only rules."

"Then what exactly are you trying to accomplish? You can't convince them and you can't kill them! I don't get it!" Leorio was gesticulating wildly as he spoke and wore an equally humorous look of exasperation on his face.

"You're forgetting something. I'm not a Zoldyck anymore."

"So you are planning on killing all of them? Are you even capable of doing that?"

"How about you let me handle how I deal with my family and you focus on what I ask you to do." Killua told the older man sharply. It wasn't a suggestion. It was an order. He then turned to Kurapika. "Can I trust you to protect her while I'm gone?"

"Of course." He replied. "However there is still one thing that bothers me. If the client is so powerful and driven, then why rely on another to kill his target? Why not pursue Hannah directly?"

"Weren't you listening?" Leorio said, falling into a rotten mood. "He doesn't know her identity."

"And he outsourced the task to identify her. Why not pursue this knowledge himself?" Kurapika looked at Killua for the answer. The white haired teen shrugged.

"Don't know. That's been bothering me too." He admitted.

"When you return from your family, we'll help you deal with the Man in the Metal Mask." Kurapika said. "You don't have to carry this burden alone anymore."

Killua shook his head. "There is no dealing with him. Once I get my family to back down, it'll all be over. I can ensure that the Man in the Metal Mask will never find out that Hannah is the one he wants to kill."

Kurapika nodded, but still didn't look convinced. "You don't seek revenge?"

Killua looked at Hazel for a long moment and then back at the blonde. "Not anymore. Gon wouldn't want that. Especially not after seeing you go through your issues."

"Fair point."

"I'll be going then." Killua stood up.

"Um sorry to interrupt, but could I talk to you for a second before you go?" Hannah asked. Everyone looked at her and she suddenly got nervous. And for Hannah nervous meant stuttering and awkwardness. "Uh alone I mean. With Killua. N-not because I want to- or anything- I just u-um wanted to tell him something that I don't want anyone else to hear. Not because you shouldn't hear it! But because I rather-"

"They get it." Killua's voice was sharp but his eyes were kind. She could even see that she made him smile a little. "A moment, Kurapika, Leorio?"

"Sure thing." Leorio gave them a hearty wink and they gave them the room.

"What's up?" Killua asked. Hannah didn't fail to notice how his voice was softer now that it was just the two of them. It sent tingles all the way down to her toes.

"I just wanted to thank you, I guess." She spoke slowly so that her words wouldn't become a tangled up mess like they did when she was nervous. "For protecting me. For calling your friends to help us. For staying here while I was recovering. I know you probably would have wanted to go back to deal with your family immediately, but you waited for me to get better."

"It was nothing."

"No, I definitely think it was something." She said. She took a deep breath. "Look what I said earlier about not being able to get over the things that you've done…"

"I understand."

"No, no that wasn't what I was trying to say." Organizing her thoughts was so difficult. Partly because she was extraordinarily conflicted herself, but partly because Killua was sitting so close to her. "What I'm trying to say is… I don't understand your world. Hunters, assassins, missions, it's all so foreign to me. I grew up about as normal as you can get. And I was always taught that killing was wrong. But it appears to me that in your world, those things aren't so black and white. I- I can see you're a good person. Maybe you've done some bad things, but I know you're a good person. I'm not sure where that leaves us, but I just wanted you to know."

Killua considered her and her words softly. He was very cautious as he spoke.

"Even if… I have some good in me, I still have a whole lot of darkness." He told her. He reached out and put a cautious hand on her shoulder, sending a feeling of warmth through her body like wildfire. "You're about as good as it gets. I'd only corrupt you."

"Or maybe I'd corrupt you." She said with a sneaky smile. Killua laughed as he stood up to leave.

"You already have."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **There you have it, folks! The kick start to part two! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and are excited for what's to come. Welp, that's about all I have to say, really. I am FAR more interested to hear what _you_ have to say, so let me know in a review! **

**Until next time,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter (obvi)**


	12. Chapter 12: Family

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART TWO-  
**_

Chapter 12

Family

Killua's family was waiting for him the moment he pushed open the front doors of the mansion. His whole family. Standing in a semicircle silently and solemnly as he entered.

Silva stood at the center of the Zoldycks with his wife to his left and his father, Zeno, to his right. Surrounding them were the Zoldyck children- or what was left of them anyway. Kalluto stood beside the matriarch, obedient as ever. Milluki was disinterested and was holding a hand behind his back, probably hiding a bag of potato chips that he snuck into an occasion as important as this. And then there was Illumi. Killua figured his thinking was far too wishful when he hoped that he would return home before his older brother. Hannah really was starting to rub off on him.

Killua knew better than to speak first. He examined his family closely and waited for his father to say something. The large and burly man had long pale hair and a stern face framed by a square jaw. He didn't look happy. But at the same time he didn't look especially vengeful either.

"Welcome home, son." Silva said. His voice was cautious.

"I haven't come to stay." Killua answered with equal care, trying to get a read on what his father was thinking.

"I assumed as much after hearing Illumi's description of events. I was disappointed to discover you failed your mission. But now that I know _why_ you failed your mission, my disappointment has only compounded."

Killua narrowed his eyes but left his face relaxed.

"Desire for your approval stopped affecting my actions a long time ago." The nineteen year old answered steadily. That was true. He remembered back to the conversation he had with his dad when he was twelve. It was the first- and only- father-son talk they had together. To hear that his father supported his wish to leave home and travel with his new friends was one of the happiest moments of his young life. However, as the years passed, his admiration for his father had all but diminished.

"A girl. An ordinary _human_ girl. I didn't raise you to be so weak." Silva said.

"She didn't deserve to die."

There was so much more to it than that. Other than the fact that he'd grown to care about her, Hannah was also Gon's sister. But his family didn't know that. And he intended to keep it that way.

"It is not our job to determine who deserves to live or die."

"It's the job of our client and the amount of money in their pockets." Killua finished for his father dryly, shooting him a judgmental glare.

"The family business isn't forgiving to the weak. It requires professionalism and objectivity. There is a reason we never allowed you to make friends growing up. There is a reason we trust only those within our family. The Zoldyck family has thrived under these principles for centuries. We cannot afford to sacrifice those ideals now."

"Good news, then. No sacrifice is necessary. I'm officially withdrawing from the family business. Your principles remain intact."

Silva scowled. Killua's mom gasped in horror.

"S-surely he doesn't know what he's saying." She asked frantically. "My little boy, my precious-"

"Then why have you returned?" Silva cut off his wife and boomed at his son with anger. "If you no longer consider yourself a part of the family, then why have you come back to this place?!"

"I've come to make a request."

Killua could have sworn he saw his grandfather's eyes light up with amusement. Even Silva was taken by enough surprise to lower his voice. "A request?"

"I know you are still targeting the girl. It is the job you were hired to do and I know Zoldycks always complete their mission. However, I'm asking you not to."

"And why should we do that?"

His words were met with a long pause. An echo rang out among the stony hall. The truth was Killua didn't have a good reason. The Zoldyck family wouldn't benefit from dropping the job and certainly wouldn't understand any reasoning concerning friendship. The only thing they did understand outside the assassin's creed was family loyalty. That was the only card Killua could play.

"Because I'm your son." Killua said. "And I'm asking you to spare my friend."

Silva Zoldyck's expression remained stone cold and unwavering. The rest of the family responded in a similar manner. Normally Killua had a pretty good read on what his family was thinking, but this time he had no clue. His muscles tensed as he waited for his father to respond. If they still refused, then he would have no choice but to resort to more drastic measures. He ran through his options. If he activated Godspeed, he could move fast enough to grab his mother and blackmail his father with the threat of killing her. Or he could go for a quick strike on his father and then try to reason with Zeno instead. At this point he honestly wasn't sure who would win in a fight between himself and his grandfather, but it was certainly something he didn't want to try. Especially when the other Zoldycks would be on Zeno's side.

Beyond that, Killua didn't have many options. All that was left was to stand and wait for what his father had to say. And knowing his father, he had a plan formulating in that head of his as well. Killua needed to stay on his toes.

"This," Silva said slowly, "Is why you were not allowed to have friends as a child. They only distract you from the good of the family. As you speak you are forsaking your family. Yet you use family as an argument to suit your personal agenda."

Killua smirked. "Guilty." When no one else smiled, he went back to a more serious approach. "Father. You once told me to never betray my friends. I've lived by that philosophy ever since and I continue to do so today."

"I told you that under the assumption you would fail." Silva's words were harsh and abrupt. "I understood that you needed to leave home and experience the outside world with your friends. But I allowed you to leave because I had confidence that you would fail to keep your promise. With Illumi's needle in your head, I was all but certain that you would betray your friends, perhaps even kill them yourself, and then return home where you belong. However, I underestimated your determination. You managed to remove Illumi's needle yourself. Despite this, you _did_ return home. I thought that you were finally ready to become the true Zoldyck heir. But you proved me to be wrong yet again. You've once more chosen friendship over your family."

Killua knew what his father was doing. He was appealing to his emotional side- the side that most Zoldycks didn't have. Killua wasn't about to let himself be manipulated. He thought about the loving relationship Gon had with his Aunt Mito. He thought about his special bond with Alluka. He thought about Hannah and the love she had for her adoptive parents.

"I know the importance of family." He said, icy calm. He gestured to the ring of Zoldycks standing in front of him. "But this? This is not it. Whatever you call us, we are not a family. You talk a big game, but you know nothing about it."

"Don't I?"

"Prove me wrong." Killua said, his tone was a pure challenge. "Show me that there is still something here that resembles a family. Drop the mission to kill Hannah Hazel. Don't give her identity to the client. That's what a real father would do."

There. He had put the ball back in Silva's court. The Zoldyck head lifted his chin as he considered his son's words, but Killua was not fooled. Both men knew that they were not having a discussion over what it means to be family. No, they both had already resigned to accept that their views of family were far too different to ever be reconciled. The conversation between them was a game, a war of words.

Silva had been pulling strings ever since Killua was a young child. It was about time he got some of his own medicine. Killua could feel his father trying to figure out what his son was trying to accomplish. He could tell that the man was frustrated by it, even if he didn't reveal that fact on his face.

"Very well." Silva said finally. Those two simple words thrust Killua back onto the defensive. What was his father playing at now? He listened to what the man had to say. "I will do as you ask, son. The Zoldycks will drop the mission to kill the girl and we will not reveal her identity to our client."

Milluki, Kikyo, Kalluto, and even Illumi all looked at the patriarch in shock. Only Zeno remained unsurprised. A half smile lit his face.

"I assume you have a condition?" Killua asked, narrowing his eyes.

"But of course." Silva said, faking a good-natured attitude. "I cannot have the Zoldyck name tarnished if word of our incomplete mission gets out. And so, in exchange for my word that the girl will not meet any harm at the hands of a Zoldyck, you will kill the client who wears a metal mask. It is a simple compromise, I think. One that serves both of our priorities well."

Killua resisted the urge to scowl. Silva had him backed into a corner now. He had no choice but to accept even though it had already proved impossible to kill the Man in the Metal Mask. However, knowing his father the worst was yet to come.

"And if I fail to kill him?"

"Then you will return home. And take your rightful place as heir. I will not be as cruel as to force you to kill the girl you have grown so fond of yourself, but the Zoldycks will complete their mission so long as the client lives."

"I see." Killua had expected as much. The most he could bargain for now was time. "And I assume you will allow me ample time to kill the client, who I'm sure you are aware is very powerful."

"Of course." Silva smiled. "I'm sure three months will do. That should be more than enough time for someone of your talents."

"Six months."

"Five is as many as I am willing to risk before rumors of our failure spread."

"Fine." Killua said. "It's a deal."

"Good." Silva said. He pulled out a knife and made a cut on his thumb. He then held out the knife to his son. "All that's left now is to swear."

Killua nodded and walked up to his father. Silva offered him the knife, but the teenage boy refused, preferring to pierce the skin of his thumb with a bite from his teeth instead.

"As the head of the Zoldyck Family, I swear to allow Hannah Hazel to live and to not reveal her identity so long as you, my son Killua Zoldyck, kill the Man in the Metal Mask within a time frame of five months, beginning today."

"If I fail to kill him," Killua added, "Then I swear to return to the Zoldyck Family and take my place as the heir."

The father and son pressed their thumbs together, mixing blood, sealing their covenant.

Killua was well aware that he was essentially guaranteeing a future for himself in which he returned to his life as an assassin yet again, but it would be worth it. He had five months to figure out a way to permanently protect Hannah for harm. He had no illusion that he would actually be able to kill the Man in the Metal Mask, but perhaps he could discover a way to prevent his family from killing her at the conclusion of his five month time frame. It was a tall order, but for now, the book written by Ging was safely hidden from the Man in the Metal Mask. There was no way for him to find out Hannah's identity. And he had ensured his own family would lay off of her for the time being. Hazel was safe.

And that was all that mattered to him for the moment.

XXX

As Killua left through the front gates of his family estate, he saw a flash of gold in the sky. Out of curiosity, he turned his head to see where it was coming from. Most people would have been surprised to see a sparkling golden dragon soaring through the air, but Killua was not most people. He merely stared in appreciation at his grandfather's nen and waited to see if the old man was paying him a visit, or if he was just going to fly by.

To his pleasure, the dragon descended from the sky and landed on the ground in front of Killua. As Zeno leaped off of the dragon, it vanished in a flash of shimmering aura.

"Gramps." Killua acknowledged the old Zoldyck with a nod.

"Killua. I wanted a word before you left."

Raising an eyebrow, Killua added, "And you didn't want to talk in front of my father."

"Silva is a bold man who exemplifies Zoldyck values. He is a fine head to the family. However, this did not help him when dealing with you, an anomaly in the family."

"He thought he could control me. He still thinks he can control me."

"Is he wrong?" Zeno raised an eyebrow. The old man did this all the time. He asked questions that he already knew the answer to, just to get a read on what the other person was thinking. Killua knew better than to respond directly.

"I always looked up to you. More than I ever did to him."

"That makes sense. We spent more time together. Your father was always too busy with his responsibilities."

"All he knew about me was my potential. It wasn't until I was twelve that he realized just how different we are." Killua commented, keeping his voice even and casual. The he looked directly at his grandfather. "You never made that mistake."

Killua couldn't remember ever seeing Zeno laugh, but he did just then. He let out a small chuckle. "There's a reason you were always my favorite. You were headstrong, independent and too bright for your own good."

"Then you understand where I am coming from now."

"Yes." Zeno agreed, dropping his face back to its usual blank demeanor. "However, I also believe you are misguided."

"And you came all this way to tell me that?"

"No. I came all this way to remind you that despite what you say, you are still a member of the Zoldyck family. There is a reason the Zoldycks favor family above friends. The latter is far more easily vanquished than the former."

"I realize that." Killua said stubbornly. "Gon died before I could do anything to stop it. You guys, _my family_ , never seem to go away. No matter how much I want you to."

Zeno nodded. "Now you understand."

With that, he summoned his golden dragon once more and leaped onto its back with grace far beyond the limits of most his age. He nodded to his favorite grandson once more before he left.

"Don't be mistaken. I am proud of you. You will always have a place here."

"If dad gets his way then I'll be back for good."

"If your father got his way you would have never left."

Killua gave his grandfather a wry smile and shook his head. "See yah, gramps."

Without another word, Zeno and his dragon soared back into the sky, flying in the opposite direction of the Zoldyck estate.

 _So the old man was just dropping by to say hello on his way to another job. Figures. He never does let anyone know his true end game._

Everyone in his family was so complicated. Even after their talk, Killua had no clue whose side his grandfather was on: his son's or his grandson's.

Or maybe that was what Zeno was trying to tell him. There are no sides. Only family.

 _Still,_ Killua thought. _It's a pretty crappy family._

And as he walked down the mountain path he was more than happy to be leaving his family behind him. If only it would be for another five months.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Gah! It should not have taken me this long to post this chapter as I originally wrote it months ago, but alas, here we are! To be perfectly honest with you, this story has been just about the last thing on my mind recently so I apologize for the delay if you are one of the wonderful people who wait on the edge of their seats every week for the next chapter. Side effects of my negligence might include a hastily edited chapter- so if you find any mistakes, kindly let me know and I'll get things patched up.**

 **That being said, I've been in a slump about writing new chapters (I've done up to 19 so far-alright, so 19 is an incredibly long, mismatched jumble of scenes that isn't quite legible yet, but it exists, so I'm counting it). I'm going to strive to get Part Two complete in a timely matter so that updates until that point are frequent, however after that, all bets are off. I'm probably going to have to have some sort of brief hiatus in between the end of Part Two and beginning of Part Three, because writing is just not happening right now for me. But then again who knows; I still have a lot of time to work with. I just wanted to give you guys the heads up. Oh and by "brief hiatus" I mean like a month. Max.**

 **To make up for the somewhat-maybe-hopefully not bad news, I'll tell you a joke.**

 **What happens to a frog's car when it breaks down?**

 **It gets toad away.**

 **You're welcome. Now I'll stop babbling and let you guys go run along and tell your friends that joke. You'll quickly become the funniest person they know. But, of course, I'm sure you already are ;)**

 **See yah,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I own the clothes on my back and nothing more. Although I guess I also own Hannah Hazel. And some other characters. So don't steal my intellectual property. But if you want to make fan fiction about them then go for it. I'd read it.**


	13. Chapter 13: Pancakes and Stomachaches

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART TWO-**_

Chapter 13

Pancakes and Stomachaches

The silence was deafening. Seriously, it was so quiet inside the Emerald Hotel penthouse suit that not only could you hear a pen drop, but you could hear also hear a grape drop. Hannah knew this to be true because when Leorio dropped a piece of the small purple fruit that he had been chomping on, the tiny "plop" reverberated throughout the room like a gunshot as it hit the floor.

It was times like this that Hannah had no earthly clue how to start a conversation. Killua- who was a professional assassin, by the way- left her in his makeshift home while he went back to his real home to convince his family not to kill her. So that was great. And to put the cherry on top, he left her with his two friends (but according to Killua they weren't friends; that was very confusing) to babysit her. Even though the gunshot wound beneath her ribs was healing nicely and she could hobble around on her own now, Hannah had no delusions that she would be able to leave the hotel room. Not only would she face a lot of funny questions from her roommates as to why she had a bullet hole in her side, but she also knew that Leorio and Kurapika would never let her leave. Even though they were both older than Killua, they clearly respected him and would obey his wishes to the T.

And that was the first reason the whole situation was awkward. The second definitely had to do with the fact that Kurapika had been standing stiffly next to the front door for hours now, not moving and not taking his eyes off of his new acquaintance (i.e. hostage). The third was Leorio eating his grapes. When the only sound in the room was the unpleasant noise of a goofy doctor chomping on fruit, there was definitely a problem. And Hannah supposed the fourth reason for awkwardness was herself. She had been drawing in her sketchpad for a while now, but her work wasn't really speaking to her at the moment. She was too on edge to let go of the world and sink into her art. It would be much more productive to start laying down her million questions about Killua onto her two bodyguards, but she really did have no clue how to start a conversation with these guys- she didn't even know if she should.

Perhaps she should just turn the TV on instead. Yes, that would be a good thing, wouldn't it? It would bring some much appreciated noise to the room and give Kurapika something to stare at besides her. Grabbing the remote, Hannah clicked the "power" button. To her horror, the image that popped onto the screen was anything but tension-relieving. The TV showed a heated sex scene from some cheap movie or soap opera. Her heart nearly burst in horror and she quickly fumbled to quickly turn the TV off again.

"Uh sorry about that." Hannah said quietly, knowing that the awkwardness would only multiply if she had let that little scene go without comment.

Leorio burst into laughter. Somehow that made the girl feel a little better. "You don't have to be so on edge, you know. You aren't a prisoner."

"So then I can leave whenever I want?" Hannah prompted, pleased to have changed the subject and have voices filling the space.

"Nice try, but that bit is nonnegotiable. I'm your doctor and I'm telling you that you need to rest."

"Besides, with the amount of people that want to kill you, this is the safest place." Kurapika added.

"Yeah, about that." Hannah said. "Are we sure this place is safe? I mean, didn't Killua say that his brother tracked him down to this hotel?"

"Yes." Kurapika agreed. "But Killua has returned home to convince his family to not kill you. If he succeeds, then this hotel room will be safe once more. We would move you until their compliance is confirmed, but it wouldn't be favorable with your injury and being exposed in the open is even more dangerous. Trust us, at the moment this room is the safest place for you now."

"And if the other Zoldycks do decide to not kill me, what about then? How do I know that they wouldn't be lying?"

"Most of the Zoldycks are tricky, murderous bastards. But they do keep their word." Leorio chimed in rather cheerfully. Hannah vaguely wondered if he included Killua in that statement.

"Good." Hannah forced the word out with a smile, but her voice wavered slightly. "In that case hopefully Killua is successful in persuading his family."

 _Not to kill me_. She added the less pleasant words in her head.

"Hopefully."

"I'm sure he will be able to!" Hannah declared, denial radiating off of her like sunshine.

"Maybe, but you shouldn't get your hopes up-" Leorio warned.

"I like to stay optimistic." Hannah cut him off quickly, claimed that she had a lot of History pages to read (which was actually true) and then excused herself to bed. Sure it was only about 6 o' clock in the evening, but she needed a little alone time to sort her thoughts out. Even though she had been stuck in the same hotel room for the past week and a half, everything seemed to be happening so fast. Her life was hanging in the balance. Perhaps the reason why she hadn't broken down into tears yet was because none of it seemed real yet. That whole scene on the riverside where she almost died was more like a bad dream rather than a real memory. Part of her mind probably blocked it out to preserve herself the pain… She remembered hearing something about that in that Intro to Psych class she had to take last semester…

Killua had still not returned by the following morning. This came as no surprise, however. Kurapika had informed her that Killua's family mansion was fairly far away from York New City and would require an Airship to get to. Therefore, they weren't expecting him back until later on in the day.

Hannah rolled around in bed for a couple hours before she truly woke up, not wanting to leave the safety of the bedroom and experience more awkwardness in the main room. Despite her best efforts, hunger drove her out into the open. She did not go unprepared, however. Hannah had mentally prepared several conversation starters so that they wouldn't face the same uncomfortable silence as yesterday.

Leorio was in the kitchen area while Kurapika was still standing by the door (did he even go to sleep last night?). The tall doctor was squinting his eyes, trying to read the directions on the back of a box of pre-made pancake mix. To the pleasure of Hannah's stomach, eggs, milk and bacon was on the black marble counters, ready to be transformed into something delicious.

"Good morning." Hannah chirped, announcing her entrance. Her honey brown hair was pulled into a braid and she wore leggings paired with a comfy cotton shirt. The smile she twisted onto her face could definitely be perceived as genuine.

"Hey there!" Leorio looked up briefly from the pancake box and flashed her a smile. "Sleep well? How's the side?"

"Good and good." She replied, walking into the kitchen. Kurapika nodded to her solemnly in hello. Hannah waved at him awkwardly before joining Leorio in the kitchen. "Cooking some pancakes?"

"Trying to." He growled, dumping a huge portion of the pancake mix into a bowl. He cracked some eggs into it as well, but the girl had a vague suspicion that some of the shell made it into the batter…

"Sounds delicious."

"I went down to the store earlier today to get some food. Can you believe Killua didn't have _any_ grub in here at all? No wonder that little bastard is so skinny…"

Hannah reframed from commenting on the fact that Leorio was especially skinny as well. And plus he didn't have quite the same muscle definition the younger hunter had. But she was certainly not about to comment on that.

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Nah, I think I got it-" Leorio said, deep in concentration. He finished mixing the batter and was about to move to pour it onto the skillet.

"You're forgetting the milk!" Hannah said quickly before he was able to do so. She hated to step on his toes, but she didn't want to see the pancake batter go to waste if it didn't have milk inside.

"Oh right. Almost missed that bit." He added the milk. "I guess I'm not the best cook…"

"You're the worst." Kurapika commented suddenly. He kept his face straight but Hannah couldn't help but laugh. He had hardly said anything for the past day. It was good to know he had a sense of humor too.

"Awe shut up, Kurapika! You're no better! I remember that stew you made while we were on a job in Horshire!"

"My stew was fine. It was high in protein and fiber."

"It tasted like a watery version of my old gym socks. Except it smelled like horse shit instead of sweat!"

"Still, I'm not going to chance it by eating your retched pancakes." Kurapika said stubbornly. "And Hannah, I suggest you do the same."

Hannah giggled. "Maybe if I help out, they won't be so bad. I'm not a great cook, but two chefs are better than one."

"Perfect." Leorio said. "We are going to make the best pancakes ever and Kurapika isn't allowed to have any!"

"You are such a child."

Still laughing, Hannah helped Leorio finish putting together the pancake batter. She even added in a little extra vanilla and sugar- it was a secret recipe her dad always used when he made breakfast Sunday mornings. She didn't quite remember the exact amounts of each to add, but she assumed a healthy slug of both ingredients into the batter would do. Before long, they were cooking pancakes one at a time on a small frying pan on the stove. Hannah considered it a good time to use a couple of her conversation starters.

"I don't know if you knew this, but I'm a premed student." Hannah mentioned to Leorio. "You're already a doctor. Any tips you have on getting into medical school?"

Alright, so maybe it sounded like a scripted question at a Q and A panel, but it was definitely a start. Leorio hummed softly and turned back to the pancake. He poked it once or twice with a spatula, realizing it wasn't yet ready to be flipped.

"Hmm, I don't know if I'm the best person to ask about that. I never really cared which medical school I got into. Paying tuition was always the issue."

"Yeah, it's pretty expensive." Hannah said weakly, feeling slightly guilty that Leorio had to worry about that sort of thing. Having grown up in a well-off middle class family, she never worried about money or paying tuition.

"That's why I originally took the Hunter Exam." Leorio commented. He flipped the pancake rather sloppily; it nearly jumped right out of the pan. "I needed the cash."

"Wow, that's incredible. You must be really smart and really strong to be able to get through Med school _and_ the Hunter Exam. I don't know if I'll even be able to get through one!"

"Oh you'll be fine, trust me. All you really need is some friends to help you." Well that was Hannah's first problem. Her only friend at the moment was an assassin who nearly killed her. She didn't voice that out loud to Leorio, however. He kept on talking. "That was how I got through the Hunter Exam, after all. I would have failed pretty early on if it weren't for Kurapika, Killua and especially Gon helping me out."

Hannah perked up in interest. With Killua, she got the sense that Gon was a taboo subject. It was fascinating to hear someone mention his name without cringing.

"Killua never really talks about him that much." She phrased her words carefully so that she was asking for information, but not _really_ asking. She was quite proud of her ambiguity, actually.

"Yeah, I don't blame him. Gon and Killua were about as tight as two friends could be. Even though they were nearly complete opposites. As I'm sure you already know, Killua has always been more calculated and levelheaded, while Gon was always a little fireball. Once he put his mind to something he would never give up or back down. Stubbornnest kid I've ever met. But he had a good heart and would do anything to help his friends- that's the one place Killua and Gon are the same."

"They sound like quite the pair." Hannah commented. She got a sneaking suspicion that they were leaving the pancake on the frying pan for too long, but she was too interested in the conversation to care.

"I could never keep up with them, that's for sure. Gon always had his mind dead set on finding his dad. You see his dad, Ging, is a hunter himself and was never there for Gon as a kid. That was why Gon wanted to become a hunter in the first place: to see what could be so awesome that his dad would chose it over being with his son. So yeah, Gon was on that wild goose chase for a while and Killua helped him every step of the way."

"Killua sounds like a good friend." Hannah tried to make the comment as casual as she could. She tried flipping a pancake herself. Leorio smiled, knowing exactly where she was going.

"You're trying to get a better read on him, aren't you?"

Hannah shrugged. "Can you blame me?"

"I guess not." Leorio agreed. "Look, I know Killua can be moody and arrogant. And yeah, he's killed a lot of people, but the way I see it is Killua was a good kid born into a shitty situation. And he almost made it to the other side too. But then Gon died and Killua spiraled. Honestly, it's a miracle Killua isn't more screwed up than he already is. Just the fact that he is trying to turn himself around _again_ proves that he has his heart in the right place. I'd stand behind him any day of the week."

The girl nodded. None of this information was new, but somehow hearing it come from Leorio's mouth made all the difference in the world. Now, she was confident in the fact that Killua wasn't a bad guy. He just had some… issues. The real question now was whether or not she could handle those issues. She wanted to be brave and rebellious and say "Hell yes!", but she was still uncertain.

These thoughts pulled Hannah back into silence as the rest of the food finished being cooked.

"Pancakes are done! And so is the bacon!" Leorio announced suddenly. He carried the tray of pancakes to the table while Hannah brought the bacon. Kurapika eyed their food, wondering whether or not it was going to be edible.

"Yum, this looks delicious." Hannah said eagerly. She piled a couple of pancakes and bacon strips onto her plate and then doused them with butter and syrup; her stomach growled anxiously.

"And it actually smells decent." Leorio added, preparing to bite into his breakfast.

Hannah beat him to it, shoveling the pancakes into her mouth.

To put it nicely, it wasn't exactly the explosion of flavor she was hoping for. There was definitely flavor. It was just the sort of flavor that made you want to gag. And the fact that it was definitely overcooked didn't help the situation either. As she chewed, her teeth hit an unpleasant crunch. Looks like some eggshell made it into the batter after all… And what was that funky after taste?

She shared some eye contact with Leorio after they both ate a few bites. He was clearly trying to keep a grimace off his face when he asked, "So what do you think?"

"I, um… the maple syrup tastes good."

Kurapika laughed from his place next to the door. He wore a smug look, relishing being right. "I knew it."

"Shut up, Kurapika!" Leorio shouted. "These pancakes are FANTASTIC."

'Yeah." Hannah agreed weakly. "Really good."

She took another bite to continue the show. She nearly gagged. She was clearly a worse cook than she thought she was. Perhaps she should just stick to her smoothies…

"Then you better eat up." Kurapika said, challenging his friend.

"I WILL." Leorio declared. He began piling the pancakes into his mouth at a furious speed. Just the sight of it made the girl's stomach hurt.

"Hey, um, Leorio? Maybe you should slow it down just a tad..?"

"NEVER!" Once Leorio finished his own plate, he stole Hannah's and ate all of her pancakes and bacon as well.

"I was going to eat the bacon…" Hannah pouted softly.

Once Leorio finished all his food, he stood up proudly with his chest puffed up proudly. "There, you see Kurapika? I _can_ cook. That was delic- Oh no I'm going to be sick-"

Leorio suddenly gripped his stomach and turned a putrid shade of green before he quickly rushed away to the bathroom, leaving Hannah and Kurapika rolling with laughter.

Once Leorio had finished his business in the bathroom (Hannah didn't know and didn't ask- she was just thankful that the penthouse suite had two bathrooms), he lied down on the couch while Hannah fixed herself a bowl of cereal to eat for breakfast instead. It looked like Leorio did buy a backup plan just in case the pancakes were a fiasco.

"I thought you were good at cooking." Leorio moaned from the couch, clearly still in pain from the nasty pancakes.

"I never said I was!" Hannah protested. "I specialize in smoothies."

"Well I don't think I'm going to eat anything ever again for months."

"You'll be hungry again by lunchtime." Kurapika said knowingly.

Kurapika was right. In a few hours, Leorio was ready for eating again. They all had ham and cheese sandwiches. After that, Leorio had Hannah go through her rehab exercises for her side (she was secretly hoping that she would finally get some abs after the 20 different core exercises Doctor Leorio wrote up for her). The afternoon wound down with Hannah doing some more work for her classes. After missing so many lectures, she would have been drowning in all the new material, but Leorio came in clutch, helping her learn new concepts that he had to master back when he was in school.

And it was nice. A huge improvement over yesterday for sure. Silences were no longer awkward and conversation flowed easily. Without sounding too needy or curious, Hannah worked in plenty of questions about Killua and was pleased with the answers she got. Leorio was sure to mention the time he helped liberate Killua from his family and the time they were fighting for money for the York New City Auction.

Despite the fact that Leorio was a lot older than her, Hannah was starting to feel quite comfortable in his presence. Almost like they were becoming friends. Honestly she didn't know if she could handle too many potential friends at once, but it was a nice feeling nevertheless.

"So what's the deal with you and Killua?" Leorio asked her suddenly with a sneaky smile. "Are you dating, or what?"

"No!" Hannah replied instantly, totally appalled. One second she was studying quietly and the next she was utterly embarrassed. Her warm feelings for Leorio vanished on the spot. He pressed onwards.

"Has he not kissed you yet? He is still kind of young, maybe I should give him some pointers…"

"No- no pointers are necessary!" Her face was redder than a cherry tomato.

"You mean you think he already has enough experience? Or have you already seen for yourself?"

"I don't know and no, I definitely haven't!" Hannah was flustered for words and wasn't thinking straight enough to shut Leorio down. Fortunately, her phone rang, giving her an excuse to shoot Leorio one final death glare and turn her attention to something else. She didn't even look at the Caller ID before she said, "Hello?"

"Oh, Hanny, hello! I miss you so much, it's lovely to hear your voice."

Only once person in the world called her "Hanny". And she'd recognize that voice anywhere. It was her mom.

"Hi, mom." She said with a genuine smile. Suddenly it felt like the weight of the world was lifted off of her chest. Hearing her mom's voice was just what she needed.

"I haven't heard from you in a while so I was just calling to check in. Is everything okay with you? How's school?"

Her heart instantly dropped in guilt. What would her mom think if she knew exactly what her daughter had been going through the past two weeks? She quickly decided that there was no way in the world that she was telling her mom anything but a resounding lie.

"I've been good. School is good too. I've been studying hard."

"Good, good. I'm glad to hear it."

They chatted for a while about random things. Hannah didn't have to do much work, she never did when it was her mother on the other end. The woman was a nonstop stream of current events, new vegan recipes, and family gossip when she got on the phone. All Hannah had to do was make a vague comment every few minutes to keep her mom going.

It was a nice break from the craziness to have something as normal as a conversation with her mom. But at the same time, the sick feeling in her stomach just wouldn't go away (and no, it wasn't just the pancakes). She wanted to tell her mom everything, but absolutely couldn't. If felt like she was forming a whole new secret life. It was like being a grain of sand being pulled away from the beach and out into a vast, mysterious and incredibly dangerous ocean.

About an hour after the phone call with her mom, Killua returned. Announcing his present with a simple, "Yo", he placed his hotel key down on the kitchen table.

To Hannah's immediate relief, the white haired teen was still in one piece. He didn't look to have any injuries or mortal wounds which was a good sign no matter what planet you are from.

"How'd it go?" Kurapika was the first to voice the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Fine." He shrugged. That was it. He said fine and then he shrugged. Hannah rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Please, spare us the details."

"For real, Killua!" Leorio roared. "We've been worried sick about you! What happened? You better tell us everything or I'm going to wring your neck."

"Like you could."

"Cut the crap!"

"Fine." It was now time for Killua to preform and eye roll of his own. He then looked directly at her, studying her briefly as if he was making sure she was okay before beginning his story.

He told them everything (or what Hannah assumed was everything). His family had been reluctant at first to drop their mission, but eventually agreed when Killua played the family card on them.

"And that's it?" Kurapika said once the assassin was finished speaking. "They didn't ask for anything in return."

"Well there is one more thing, but it's really not a big deal." He said casually. Why did Hannah suddenly get a bad feeling that the one more thing was going to be a rather big deal indeed?

"And what is it?" Leorio growled.

"They want me to kill the Man in the Metal Mask in return. If I fail to in five months' time, I have to return to the family estate for good and become the Zoldyck heir for real."

"WHAT?!" The two older hunters burst out at the same time. Kurapika was the one to collect himself first.

"Is that even possible? Didn't you say yourself that it would be a suicide mission to go after him?"

"Well, I didn't put it like that."

"And if you don't?" The doctor asked.

"They'll resume the mission to kill Hannah again."

"What are you going to do?" Hannah asked, eyes round with worry as she bit her bottom lip. That did not sound like a good deal at all. Not only was she worried for her own life, but she was worried for Killua's safety as well. From the sound of it, he'd fought and lost to that man twice before. What if he died trying to fight him on his third attempt?"

"I have a plan." Killua's voice was confident. Too confident.

"And what would that be?" Kurapika asked skeptically.

"Don't worry about it. I have the whole thing figured out."

 _If he's bluffing, then he should really take up poker._ Hannah thought to herself. His eyes were determined and sincere. His voice was steady and calm. And more than anything, he perpetually gave off a vibe that he knew exactly what he was doing. You always expected him to have a plan. But did he really?

"Then why won't you tell us what it is?" Leorio snapped Hannah out of her worrisome thoughts.

"Because I don't want you getting in the way."

"We wouldn't-"

"Look, the point is that for at least the next five months, Hannah is safe." Killua said. Then he turned to look at the girl directly. "You seem to be moving better. If Leorio approves, you can go home immediately. No one is going to try to hurt you."

"Okay, but I-"

"How about I give you a ride home?" Killua said abruptly. Hannah was taken aback. She had been stuck in the hotel room for such a long time now, but she still wasn't quite ready to go home.

"Okay, but… I mean, are you sure everything is okay now?" She asked.

"Yeah, of course. Pack up your stuff. I'm sure you are eager to get back to your apartment."

"Yeah…"

She went back to Killua's room and gathered up all of her things, stuffing her textbooks and laptop into her backpack, shoving clothes into the duffle bag Killua had brought her from her apartment. Ten minutes later, she was saying her goodbyes to Leorio and Kurapika. She only got a handshake from the blonde, but the doctor was much more affectionate in his farewell.

"It was great meeting you, kid." He said, pulling her in for a hug.

"Thanks for everything you've done to help me out."

"My pleasure." He said. Then he whispered much more softly in her ear. "Don't give up on Killua. You're good for him. I think he needs you."

A little shocked by his words, Hannah just nodded and smiled out him. The next moment she was following Killua out the door.

Hannah couldn't help but notice that Killua was driving a different car now. This one was bright red and just as sporty as the last one. Speaking of the last one, she didn't even want to ask what happened to it because she had a bad feeling that she wouldn't like the answer.

For the most part the car ride was silent. It wasn't until towards the end of the trip that she worked up the courage to ask one of the many questions she had on her mind.

"So where does this leave us?" She asked softly. It sounded so cheesy. Like a line from those midday soap operas her mom always used to watch. But it was necessary.

"You're going to have to be more specific."

"Like, um, are we friends or… Or am I never going to see you again? At this point I feel like it could go either way."

"Which way do you want it to go?" Killua was a blunt guy, but the lack of emotion in his voice in that moment was especially startling.

Hannah gulped. He had a point. She _was_ the one who said that they couldn't be friends. And then gave him a heartwarming talk about how she knew he was a good person about a week later. He was probably very confused about how she felt. And she didn't blame him. She didn't even know how she felt.

"I don't know." She admitted with a sigh.

"I'm going to need you to figure that out." Killua's tone was blunt. He didn't even look at her when he said them. For the first time Hannah considered that Killua was angry with her. Or maybe he was just always angry. She couldn't quite tell the difference.

Before Hannah could think of a decent response to that question, they had arrived back at her apartment building. Killua pulled over on the side of the road and waited for her to get out, making no move to open the door for her our walk her up to her room. She sighed.

"Bye. Thanks for giving me a ride." She said softly, hoping that he would say something more before she left. She just needed a little encouragement, a little sign that he actually wanted to be friends with her. Or maybe something more than friends.

He didn't. He just nodded and looked at her with those fierce blue eyes of his.

She wished more than anything she knew what he was thinking behind them.

Maybe Killua just wasn't capable of having people close to him now. Leorio and Kurapika had known him for years and he still refused to acknowledge them as friends. What shot did she have with someone like that? Maybe just walking away was for the best. She truly believed that he would do everything in his power to make sure she was safe. That was all she could ask for, right? Anything more- anything like a real relationship with Killua- maybe that was just asking too much of him.

And so that's what Hannah did. She walked away. Back to her normal life.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hi:) This chapter was super fun. It was a nice break from heavier stuff in previous chapters. Although it did get a little sad towards the end again. But don't worry, I don't like to beat the same drum too many times in a row. I like it when characters learn from their mistakes and move forward. Character growth. That's what I want to show in both of our leads.**

 **I know you guys are going to love what's to come, so keep sticking around for updates.**

 **All the best,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter**


	14. Chapter 14: No Comparison

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART TWO-**_

Chapter 14

No Comparison

"Oh." Killua said unpleasantly as he walked through the door of his hotel room. "You're still here."

"Did you really think we'd leave?" Leorio growled, crossing his arms. Kurapika was standing next to him, steady as ever with his straight face and relaxed shoulders. Killua rolled his eyes.

"I was hoping."

"You bastard-"

"Calm down, Leorio." The blonde said, always the voice of reason. There was a time where Killua acted as a voice of reason as well, but ever since Gon died, he had become more impulsive and unpolished. He just didn't let anyone see it. Kurapika walked up to Killua. He was shorter by a couple inches. "We need to talk things through. Come up with a plan."

"I have a plan."

"You can drop the act. You aren't fooling anyone." Leorio jumped in. "We know there is no plan."

"Alright fine, you got me." Killua said, throwing his hands up in the air. But even though the gesture signaled defeat, his eyes were still full of black fire. "There is no plan. But don't worry about it. I'll figure something out eventually _on my own_."

He put extra emphasis on the "On my own" part, testing if the pair of hunters could actually take a hint. They couldn't.

"Fat chance." Leorio said. "We're helping. End of discussion."

"We were never having a discussion."

"Yeah we were-"

"Discussions require both parties to give a damn about what the other thinks. I don't." Killua's voice was sharp and cutting, a product of the day he was having.

"Damn it, Killua. You're in a worse mood than usual." Leorio growled. Normally, he would have just gotten angrier than he already was and say something equally insulting back at the teen, but his voice actually softened a little. Leorio was cutting him some slack.

"I'm fine."

"Doesn't look like it."

"Hannah is safe- for the next five months at least. For now, that's all that matters."

"How is she doing with all this? I wanted to ask her myself, but I figured it'd be better coming from you."

"Don't know. Didn't ask." He shrugged. He remembered the car ride with Hazel. He wanted more than anything to apologize to her over and over and beg her not to hate him, but he knew he couldn't. Because the fact was that she was better off without him. He knew he probably could have persuaded her to forgive him in that moment, but he chose not to. It didn't matter what _he_ needed.

"You did talk to her right?" Leorio asked. His voice was a warning.

"Not really, no."

Leorio sighed and shook his head. "Why do you do this to yourself? You cut yourself off from everybody who matters to you for six months. And now that something good has finally happened to you, you let it slip away."

Killua didn't respond. He returned Leorio's pleasing stare with a hardened glare of his own. He wasn't in the mood for this right now. His heart was hurting. The last thing he needed was to talk about her right now. But Leorio didn't relent. Of course he didn't.

"You pushed Hannah away on purpose. Sure, she might have been on the fence about you, but you didn't even try fighting for her."

"Of course I didn't." Killua snapped.

"Why can't you just let yourself be happy?!"

Killua flinched at his words, suddenly reminded of his little sister. That was all she wanted. For him to be happy. But then Killua thought about all the things he'd done. All the people he'd killed. He thought about how failed to save his best friend.

"Maybe I don't deserve to be happy."

"Bull shit." Leorio shot back.

"Well I definitely don't deserve _her_." Killua shot back. "I almost killed her, Leorio. I was a second's hesitation away from snapping her neck."

"But you didn't." Kurapika was the one to point this out. He'd been listening calmly to the entire argument until now. "That means a great deal."

What a standup guy he was. It was pretty bad when the bar was set so low, all you had to do to exceed expectations was not murder somebody.

"We can see how much you care about her, man." The doctor's voice was much softer now. He put a hand on Killua's shoulder. Normally Killua would have shrugged off the touch, but this time he didn't mind. He looked at Leorio and Killua.

"She's scared of me." He said softly. He was surprised how quickly all the anger and frustration evaporated from his tone. Hannah could seriously mess with his head. "She'd never feel the same way. It's probably best it's left that way."

Leorio shook his head and laughed. "You idiot. She isn't scared of you. In all honesty, she probably _should_ be, but she isn't. She couldn't stop talking about you while you were gone. She wants to forgive you. She just needs a little push in the right direction."

"But it's not the right direction." Killua said, shaking his head. "She doesn't need me."

"I'd argue that she does." Kurapika said. "She's shy, somewhat awkward, and is unconfident with herself. Being around you could be good for her too. That is, if you stop spiraling and start acting like yourself again."

Killua sighed, placing an exasperated hand on his forehead. In spite of himself, he thought about the conversation he had with Hazel in that hole-in-the-wall coffee shop she adored so much. She had been so embarrassed when Killua happened across the sketches she had drawn of him. She was so talented. She was able to perfectly capture him in a way that he hadn't even realized himself. He was sad.

That was when the sparkle came back to her eyes and a naïve thought sprung into her mind.

 _Alright, so maybe I'm not confident. But I am happy. And you're not happy, but you have plenty of confidence. Maybe we could help each other out?_

She spoke the words with such a hesitant excitement. He brushed off her idea at first. But now… now it didn't seem so bad. He could help her be confident- she had so much to be confident about, that it would be easy to get her to believe it. And she wouldn't even need to _try_ to make him happier. He never could prevent a goddamn smile from breaking onto his face whenever she was in the near vicinity. Perhaps it wasn't too bad of a deal after all? Perhaps he could still be around her without feeling too guilty?

At that point it was over. With that moment of doubt, his resolve was crumbling. It was nearly gone. Killua shook his head and let out the deep breath that he had been holding in for too long.

He looked back at his friends, marveling for a moment on how good it felt to call them his friends again. Because there was no point in continuing to deny it. They were his friends. And some pretty good ones at that for sticking with him through all his mood swings.

"I suppose you losers don't have anywhere else to stay for the night, do you?"

They both grinned. "Nope."

"Then you can stay here, I guess." Killua drawled in a voice that made it very clear what a large inconvenience they were being.

"Excellent." Leorio said. "And I assume you are going to be a good host and offer me the bed?"

Killua grinned. "You and Kurapika can fight over the couch."

Leorio didn't even throw a fit. He was probably just happy to see his friend smile again. "So what are you going to do next? Any plans?"

Killua thought about that for a moment. To his surprise he already knew the answer.

"I'll take a trip to Whale Island. I think it's about time I visited Gon's grave."

Kurapika's brown eyes narrowed in concern. "You shouldn't go alone."

"I'll come with you if you want." Leorio offered instantly. Killua shook his head with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Appreciate the offer, but I'll take a hard pass on that one."

"But you shouldn't-"

"Don't worry." Killua said, thinking of a certain hazel eyed girl. "I won't be going alone."

XXX

Only two days had passed since Hannah left Killua's penthouse hotel suite, but it felt like an eternity. First she had to put up with her roommates questioning her about where she had been for the past week and a half. They didn't 100% buy the "surprise family vacation" excuse, but they _were_ fairly smart people, so she didn't expect them too. They were quite skeptical when she hobbled back into the apartment on Wednesday carrying a small duffle bag and backpack.

"If your parents surprised you with a cruise to the Bahamas, then where is your suntan?" Viola had asked, wearing a devilish look that said her mind was formulating all the other places Hannah could have been.

"I didn't want to get burnt so I tried to stay in the shade." That was Hannah's sorry reply. Even Becca grimaced at the lameness of the excuse.

"If you were somewhere else, we won't judge you." Viola said, grinning wildly.

"V's right. We won't judge." Becca added gently. "We'd probably be really happy for you."

"Wait a second." Hannah said, connecting the dots of what was going through her roommate's heads. "Where exactly do you think I've been?"

Becca hesitated, trying to find the appropriate words, but Viola had no such filter. "We think that you hit it off with that sexy Killua guy and you've been staying at his place."

"WHAT?!" Hannah blurted out in sheer disbelief. She looked at Becca in sheer desperation. Surely she didn't also think… "Becca-"

"It's the only thing that really makes sense, Han." The blonde girl said with an apologetic shrug.

"Well that is completely ridiculous! I would never-" Hannah stopped dead in her tracks as she realized that she _had_ been staying at Killua's place all this time. It was just _so_ not for the reason they thought. But still, the last thing she needed was for Viola and Becca to get suspicious, so in the end she just let them believe what they wanted to believe.

On Thursday, Hannah had to take a Genetics Exam that she was definitely not prepared for. If she wasn't mistaken, she'd be lucky to get away from it with a C. Friday classes had been a little better. Thanks to all the studying she had done while she was recovering and the help Leorio had given her, she wasn't too far behind in the rest of her courses. But that didn't stop them from being dreadfully boring.

She found herself constantly reliving the events of the previous week. Everything had been so exciting, so full of adrenaline. She almost died. But Killua saved her. She witnessed a real fight between real hunters. And then she learned the truth about who Killua really was. The few hours in which all of those events occurred had been so packed full of adrenaline, fear and exhilaration that her ordinary life seemed dull and monotonous in comparison. Who cared about chemistry, when there was someone out there trying to kill her? Who cared about homework when she had been spending a whole lot of time with the heir of the Zoldyck family of assassins without even knowing it? Who cared about studying, when her life was a hair's length away from ending at any moment? It sort of put everything into perspective.

Life was short. These past two days had taught her that she didn't want to spend what little time she did have playing it safe.

But unfortunately, it seemed like that was exactly what she was going to have to do. Killua had made it clear he didn't want her close. He had practically kicked her out of the car with his unsettling silence. But still, as she laid out on her bed, sketching images of recent events into her sketchbook, Hannah could help but think she wanted to see him again.

It was crazy. She should be thankful he was no longer in her life. But at the moment she was craving a little crazy.

And little did she know, she was about to get a full helping of it.

There were three quick rasps on her window. Frowning in curiosity, Hannah got out of bed, hobbled over to the window and pulled her curtains open. What she saw behind them forced her to let out a small girlish scream.

It was Killua. Outside her apartment's window- which was on the fifth floor by the way. He was standing on the slim balcony outside her room. It was only about six inches thick and was made only for show not for practical use, but there he was, effortlessly perched with perfect balance, staring at her with those cat-like blue eyes of his.

"Killua!?" Hannah gasped, taking in the assassin's rather damp image. It had been storming all day long and the rain still hadn't relenting, so the hunter's white hair was completely soaked. What was normally thick bouncy curls of snow where now flattened and plastered to his head. Then she blurted out the first thing that popped into her mind. "You're wet!"

Reading her lips, Killua rolled his eyes. He then gestured to her window, asking her to open it. Although the rain was still coming down it wasn't the heavy storm that it had been earlier. And besides, even if she was angry with Killua, the guy still deserved an audience after somehow managing to climb up to her fifth story window.

She opened the sliding glass doors of the window and immediately asked the boy, "What the heck are you doing?! How did you get up there?"

He flashed her a look that said, _Seriously? I used to work as a professional assassin and you're wondering how I can climb up a wall?_

Hannah shook her head, ignoring his facial expression. "You could have just come through the front door you know."

"I didn't want to deal with your roommates."

Hannah mentally added "He hates your friends" to the "Reasons this Guy is Bad for You" list. It still paled in comparison, however, to the "Used to kill people" bullet point.

"Yeah but now you're all wet."

He tilted his head, causing some raindrops to roll off his skin and onto the street below. "I walked here. I was already wet."

"Why did you to that?!"

He shrugged. "I decided to get some fresh air."

"Did you also decide to be absolutely insane?!"

He waited a moment to respond. When he did there was no humor or sarcasm in his voice. "Yes."

Hannah fumbled for words after that one, running an anxious hand through her wavy locks of hair. Her eyes were large.

"Why did you come here?" She asked quietly. "You didn't seem so eager to talk when you drove me back here the other day."

"I was being stupid."

Hannah felt a little breathless. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but that almost sounded like an apology."

"Maybe it is."

"I am talking to Killua Zoldyck, right?" She said in disbelief. "The confident guy?"

"Look, Hazel." He started slowly. The sound of the nickname he had given her sent shivers down her spine. "These last seven months I've made a lot of mistakes. I don't want to make another."

Hannah didn't say anything. She wanted to let him speak his mind. He let out a sigh.

"I've never told you why Gon died."

"You have." Hannah said, confused. "You've told me. The Man in the Metal Mask killed him while you were searching for his father."

Killua shook his head slowly. This was hard for him.

"But that's not the reason _why_. Gon died because I didn't convince him to back down. I couldn't stop him from fighting a battle I knew he couldn't win."

Hannah frowned. He was outside. In the cold and in the rain. She was inside. Where it was warm and dry. There was only a couple of feet in between them, but she felt like they were worlds apart. Nevertheless, Hannah was determined to look him straight in the eyes. "That's not your fault."

Her words sounded empty against the constant hum of rain. Killua ignored her statement as if she had said nothing at all.

"I felt guilty. I still feel guilty. All I wanted was revenge. All I wanted was to kill him for killing my best friend. I thought returning to my life as an assassin was the best way to accomplish that. But more than that I thought I didn't deserve to be happy. I forgot about my friends, I forgot about my sister, and I forgot that life would still go on." He then look up and flashed her a wry smile. "But then I met you. I was at my darkest moment but you brought me back into the light. I tried to deny how I felt about you for a while. I tried to deny myself of being happy. Like I said, I don't want to make any more mistakes. I don't want to lose you. I still don't know if I deserve to be happy, but at this point I really don't think I give a damn what I'm supposed to be. I just know I don't want to live without you."

Hannah was short on breath. She was short on thoughts. She was short on words. All she could do was stare into the deep pools of blue that so easily captivated her and forget about everything else in the world. The words he was saying were all too good to be true. The Killua standing in front of her was like a dream- one that she couldn't dare believe was true. She didn't know he was capable of this. She didn't know he was capable of sharing this kind of raw, unfiltered honestly with her.

But even though it was like a dream, everything he was saying made sense. Why he put up his smooth guy act. Why he never let himself get too close to her. It even explained why he was working as an assassin at the time of their first meeting.

For the first time, she felt like she was actually seeing _him._ And the sight was absolutely breathtaking.

Suddenly, the distance between them didn't seem too great anymore. He felt close enough to touch.

The rain was still splattering onto his face as he waited for her to respond. She opened her mouth to say something, but then realized she had no earthly clue what that something should be. Killua beat her to it.

"You don't have to make up your mind yet. I know you have a lot to think about. I'm going to visit Gon's grave on Whale Island and I'd like for you to come with me. If you can forgive me for lying to you and everything else, then meet me at the York New Airport on Saturday at 9 AM. We'd be away just for the weekend, so you won't miss any more of your classes. I know that's important to you."

"Killua-"

"Bye, Hazel." He cut her off.

And in the next moment he was gone, falling backwards with effortless grace down towards the street below. By the time Hannah closed her window, the nineteen year old boy was completely out of sight. Hannah let out a sigh. He had given her a lot to think about.

The whole situation was confusing to begin with. To compare the boy she had seen today with the boy she met in the library a month ago was crazy. There was absolutely no comparison.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **I really like this chapter:) It has a lot of good moments. It makes me really proud of how far Killua has come in this short amount of time.**

 **On a side note, I casually mentioned a while back that I wrote something in chapter 17 that I had been waiting a long time to write. I was super surprised by how many people had a reaction to it and I like seeing people speculate what I was referring to! I won't spoil anything (especially since its not too far away now) but I _will_ say that I don't think it will disappoint the hype. **

**Thanks for your continued support,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter**


	15. Chapter 15: Precipice

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART TWO-  
**_

Chapter 15

Precipice

 _A warm breeze tickled the unkempt mess of white hair on top of Killua's head. Inhaling the sunny, flowery scents of the clear spring day, the eighteen year old boy was happy to be off the airbus and back onto solid ground once more. The cobblestone streets of Groshu City were packed with people; Killua was just one body in a sea of hundreds, clamoring in different directions towards their respective destinations. There were mothers shepherding their children towards a bountiful farmer's market, businessmen hustling towards local cafes on their lunch break, and elderly folk strolling carelessly, oblivious to the surrounding commotion._

 _Much to the annoyance of those near him, Killua stopped in the middle of the street to scan his surroundings, becoming the sole stationary person in the squirming mass of city folk. He had no long term baggage, but there was a backpack hanging from his shoulders. He wouldn't be in Groshu for long, but he knew for certain that he was going to enjoy his time here. It wasn't long before his trained eyes landed on the person he was scheduled to meet._

 _Gon._

 _The spiky haired boy rose his hand high in the air in greeting, adopting a smile that shone brighter than the overhead sun._ _Hands lightly placed in his pockets, Killua slowly sauntered towards his friend, trying his best to hide his excitement. But still, he couldn't suppress the nagging joy that tugged his lips into an involuntary smile._

 _"Killua!" Gon cheered. He encompassed his friend in a giant bear hug that Killua returned with a few pats on the back._

 _"Hey."_

 _"Geez, did you get even taller?!" Gon said once he finally released his best friend from his grip. His eyes were wide with an endearing pout. "It's not fair! You are waaaay taller than me now!"_

 _Killua smirked at the comment. When Gon went through his growth spurt, he leveled out around 5' 11', but Killua was continuing to stretch out. He had a good couple inches on his bestie now._

 _"I've always been waaaay taller than you." Killua's tone was light, but not without the appropriate amount of snark and mockery._

 _"Have not! When we met we were the same height!"_

 _"Nah, I was still taller."_

 _"Only 'cause you were riding a skateboard."_

 _"Yeah, but your hair gives you an extra six inches."_

 _"You're hair ain't so flat either!"_

 _Killua gave up and just laughed instead of prolonging the stupid argument. It was an easy and effortless reaction that he had grown accustomed to- it was hard not to laugh when you traveled with Gon all the time. Killua raised his fist towards Gon with an accompanying smirk._

 _"It's good to see you, man."_

 _Gon grinned and bumped his fist against Killua's. "It's good to see you too, Killua."_

 _Of course, the boys hadn't traveled together continuously like they had in the first years of their friendship. After the Chimera Ant War and the 13_ _th_ _Chairman Election, the boys went their separate ways for a while. Killua spent most of his time and efforts with Alluka as he helped her find a way to control her powers. Similarly, Gon had done his own thing, seeing the world, hunting new things, and figuring out a way to think for himself without the ever-present rationality of his best friend. It was in this way that each of them became stronger in a way that they never could have achieved while together. Killua learned about what it meant to chase his own dreams and ambitions while Gon learned to a little more about self-control and restraint. He was still as brazen and determined as ever, but Killua liked to think that Gon had grown out of his young and reckless stage._

 _Despite the different paths they took in their lives, they never stopped being best friends. That was a given. They would often meet up to go on jobs, investigate something cool, or just catch up. Sometimes they would travel together for several months and sometimes they would just meet up to watch a floor master's match at Heaven's Arena._

 _This time they hadn't seen each other in nearly three months, so Killua was eager to see how much his friend had grown. But as always, the spiky haired teen was hard to get a read on._

 _Reuniting with Gon after spending time apart always felt like Vertigo. In Killua's mind's eye, Gon was still a bubbly, energetic twelve year old who always got into messes he had no business being a part of and saw the world with an innocent and often unrealistic excitement. So as he walked alongside his best friend in the present, seeing Gon's broadened shoulders and lanky body, it was easy to become slightly disorientated. There had been times where Killua thought that Gon would never grow up, but here he was. He had traded out his lime green childhood outfit, choosing to don a much more mature combination of tan cargo pants and a sleek dark green jacket instead. His hair was as spiky as ever, but it was shorter. His eyes were still deep and brown, but they weren't as wide and naïve. Perhaps the one thing about Gon that remained identical to the boy Killua knew in his youth, was his smile. It shone as brightly and widely as ever, never failing to make Killua believe that the world was actually a good place to live._

 _For the most part, Gon's personality hadn't changed in his late teenage years either. He was still hopelessly optimistic and thickheaded. He still looked at the world with amazement and he was as stubborn as ever when it came to achieving the things he wanted._

 _And that was why Killua had no choice but to honor Gon's request to tag team on a particular job request Gon had received. Both boys had flown into Groshu to meet with the client._

 _"So what is this job for, anyway?" Killua asked casually. Gon looked at him brightly._

 _"No clue! I just got the request in the mail the other day. The client asked to meet me at Red Ocean Sushi at noon."_

 _"And you just agreed to it?" Killua asked with a raised eyebrow. He wasn't sure if Gon didn't consider the possibility that this was a trap, or if he just didn't care. After over six years of knowing him, Killua assumed the later._

 _"Yep. The lady sounded real desperate."_

 _"Who is she?"_

 _"Don't know that either. The letter was anonymous."_

 _Killua almost laughed as he discovered the second ginormous red flag waving in front of them._

 _"Then how do you know it's a female?"_

 _"I smelled her perfume on the letter. It was flowery." Gon crinkled his nose in distaste despite the comparison._

 _"Alright, so why do you need me with you?"_

 _"I don't." Gon replied cheerfully. "I just wanted to see you. It's been ages since we last met up."_

 _Shaking his head with an exasperated sigh, Killua looked at his friend blankly. "It's been three months."_

 _"Exactly. That's like forever!"_

 _"It's really not."_

 _"Oh, come on, Killua. I can see through your act. You've missed me too!"_

 _Although Killua scoffed and turned his head away, he couldn't deny that the statement was true. He had missed his friend._

 _"In any case, it's probably a good thing that I'm here. This job request seems fishy."_

 _"Yep! Pretty interesting, huh? I wonder who this person is!"_

 _Yep, that confirmed it. Gon just didn't care. As always, he was in it for the thrills._

 _Red Ocean Sushi was the most popular sushi restraunt in town, nestled prominently on the main street running through the center of Groshu City. On the outside it appeared rather simple with its nondescript exterior, but on the inside, the restraunt was bustling with life. Couples, friends and families sat, ate and chatted together around low tables filled with colorful sushi rolls. Plush blue cushions acted as chairs, bringing a splash of color to the wooden floors and crisp white walls. Also assisting in bringing the sushi bar to life was the collection of paintings and photographs that filled the walls into a cluster, displaying fish caught in the nearby ocean and ships traversing rolling seas._

 _Gon in particular loved the atmosphere. His face lit up in awe as his eyes flickered around the space, taking in every detail right down to seashell tip jar sitting on the corner of the bar across the restraunt._

 _"Interesting place." Killua commented._

 _"It's great! Especially since I love fish!"_

 _"I hate fish." The white haired boy responded, instinctively performing a quick sweep of their surroundings himself._

 _"What do you mean you don't like fish? I make you fish all the time!"_

 _"Exactly."_

 _Gon's mouth dropped open for a moment, but before he had a chance to say anything back, a woman stood up from her spot at a table in the corner of the restraunt. Her lips broke into a soft smile as she raised her hand in hello._

 _"That must be her." Gon perked up immediately and started crossing the restraunt towards her. Killua followed with his hands in his pockets, keeping his guard up and senses sharp._

 _The woman appeared to be in her mid-thirties. She was fairly beautiful with flowy blond hair and a heart shaped face. She dressed in respectful business-like attire and wore a dark red lipstick._

 _"Hi! You must be the client. I'm Gon!" The boy said, holding out a hand for the woman to shake._

 _But she didn't. She merely looked at his outstretched hand and then returned her gaze to his face. And then she started to cry. At first it was only a lonely tear trickling down her face, but then more droplets followed until her makeup began to smear and her dark eyes became puffy._

 _Killua just watched the scene quietly while Gon was quickly taken aback by her reaction. He ruffled the back of his hair with a nervous hand as a mortified expression leapt onto his face. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to offend you or anything…"_

 _Embarrassed, the woman pulled a tissue out of her purse and began to dab her eyes in an attempt to dry them. "Excuse me." She said softly. "It's just… It's just that I'm feeling very emotional at the moment. I didn't think this day would ever come…"_

 _"And what day would that be?" Gon asked curiously._

 _The woman gulped with her eyes pressed open wide. Killua knew that look. It was the look someone had when they had something to say, but they were scared as to how the other person would react. After a long pause, she opened her mouth to speak._

 _"The day… the day that I finally meet my son."_

 _It took every ounce of training Killua ever had to keep the utter shock from appearing on his face. Immediately he glanced at Gon to gauge his reaction. To his surprise, his best friend remained calm and steady._

 _"Your son?" He asked. His voice was calm and steady, seeking clarification rather than expressing denial._

 _"Yes." Her voice had dropped to a whisper. "You are my son, Gon. I'm your mother."_

 _Gon took all of this in for a few moments. He frowned. And then he then shook his head slowly. "Aunt Mito is my mom." He said definitively. "But you could be the woman who gave birth to me."_

 _The women flinched slightly beneath her son's words. Even though he didn't mean them as insult, they still cut deep. She took a deep breath before continuing to speak. "I know I have a lot of explaining to do. And I would like to explain, if you'll let me."_

 _"Of course I will." He said. The woman looked as though a great weight had finally been lifted off her shoulders. She smiled brightly._

 _"Thank you, son. You will not regret this."_

 _As the woman sat back down in her seat, Killua shared a glance with Gon. After so many years of knowing each other, they could effectively communicate without words. Killua tilted his head in a gesture that asked._

Are you okay with all this?

 _Gon shrugged and then nodded his head ever so slightly._

Not really, but I have to hear her out, don't I?

 _Killua narrowed his eyes._

Maybe not.

 _Gon gave his signature look- the one that said under no circumstances in hell was he going to change his mind. Killua relented with a wry look._

You want me to stick around or do you want to talk to her alone?

 _At that, Gon let out a little chuckle._

I always want you around, Killua.

 _Having completed the entire exchange in less than a second, Gon and Killua sat down on the blue cushions across from Gon's biological mother, bracing themselves to hear a story they thought they would never know._

XXX

Heart hammering with nerves, Hannah gripped the strap of her duffle bag even tighter as she stared at the front entrance of the York New City Airport. It was true that she had never flown on an Airship before, but that wasn't the reason she was nervous (no, that anxiety would come later). The main reason for her pounding heart was Killua. What would he say when he saw that she came? What would she say to him? What would happen after? She had no idea what was to come in her future, but she knew one thing for certain. She had made the right choice.

Then she saw him. He was standing alone with a backpack slung over one shoulder. Even when they made eye contact, his face remained expressionless. He was wearing a simple long sleeve shirt the same shade of purple that he wore the first time they met. It fit him perfectly.

Hannah walked towards him quickly, forcing a smile onto her face. She had no time to be nervous. She had to be tough.

"You came." Killua said bluntly. Hannah squinted her eyes and examined his perfectly blank face. He wore no smile and his eyes were dull. This might have thrown her off in the past, but she knew Killua well enough by now to know when he was putting on his "I don't a shit" mask. Hannah put her hands on her hips.

"Give me a break. Don't pretend like you aren't happy I'm here."

And then he cracked a smile. He actually smiled. It was only small twitch of his lips on one corner of his mouth, but it was definitely a smile. Hannah grinned much more widely in victory.

Killua relented into a much softer tone. "I'm glad you're here."

Hannah allowed her girly teenage heart to flutter for a few moments before she re-toughened up.

"But let's get one thing straight, mister! I still haven't forgiven you. And I'm definitely still angry with you. I'm only here because I think you deserve a shot to earn my forgiveness."

Killua smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Well. I'm honored by the opportunity."

"I don't need your sarcasm! One more snarky comment like that and I walk!"

He laughed some more and then placed an arm around her shoulders, causing her entire body to tense up at the sudden contact. He leaned towards her and whispered into her ear. "You're cute when you try to act tough. Come on, we don't want to miss our flight."

And just like that he was steering her into the airport terminal. He truly was infuriating.

"I _am_ tough." Hannah protested weakly, but her heart wasn't really in it anymore. She was just happy to have Killua's arm around her shoulders and most of their problems behind them. Her mind knew that all of this was a bad idea and she probably should have just stayed home studying all weekend, but her heart was a different story. It was bouncing inside her chest in a joy that she hadn't experienced in a long time. She was going on an adventure. With Killua. Because _he_ wanted her to be here.

Even if this was just another plot towards her murder, Hannah couldn't help but think she wouldn't regret her decision to come to the airport. She was just too happy.

"I know you are." He answered her casually as if he didn't realize he was dealing her a compliment.

"Thanks."

XXX

 _Killua was trying to think of a time where he was a part of a more awkward situation. He was failing pretty hard._

 _Gon's mom was like a constant stream of waterworks. It felt like every time Gon smiled or cracked a joke, she burst into even more tears. And poor Gon was trying his best to make her feel better. But he was failing pretty hard as well._

 _"So how did you meet Ging?" Gon asked, deciding it was best to cut the pleasantries and get right to the meat of what needed to be said._

 _"At the Hunter Exam." The woman (whose name they found to be Kaiya) replied softly, reliving the memories of the past. "We met during the first phase. I failed that year and, of course, Ging passed, but we became friends before we were forced to go our separate ways."_

 _"And that was when you were kids?" Killua clarified._

 _"Yes." Kaiya answered. A soft blush was growing on her cheeks. "We stayed in contact after that. We were friends. And as we grew older that relationship grew into something more."_

 _"Why didn't you keep me?" Gon asked, not caring for the details of his parent's relationship. Killua felt a stab of pity for his friend. He knew that Ging had showed up with baby Gon in his arms at Whale Island, asking Mito to watch over him. At that point, Killua assumed that Gon's mom had died or something, but clearly that wasn't the case._

 _Or was it? The woman had a good story, but where was the proof that she was indeed Gon's mom. They should insist on a blood test…_

 _More tears sprinkled Kaiya's eyes._

 _"I'm so sorry." She said. "But I was so young. I was only 17 when you were born. Ging made it clear he wasn't going to stick around for the baby. I wasn't ready to raise a child on my own and Ging said that he knew a safe place for you. A place where you could grow up with a proper mother. I thought it was for the best."_

 _Gon fell silent, taking all of this in. After the conversation stagnated for a while, Killua took the initiative to ask the question Gon might not want to._

 _"And why are you only just now reaching out?" Killua asked. "Is there really a job you need Gon to do, or was this all an excuse to see your son?"_

 _"Believe me, I wanted to see you sooner." Kaiya spoke directly to her son this time. "I'm your mother. Of course I wanted to meet you. But I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to interrupt your childhood. I trusted Ging that you were happy. I didn't want to potentially ruin that with my presence. And to answer the second question… there is no job request, but there is something important I need to tell you. There's something you need to know… about your father. Something that you may not want to hear."_

 _Both boys reacted to that in different ways. Killua remained calm and wasn't surprised. Ging must have a billion secrets. The fact that this woman may know one wasn't altogether that earth-shattering. Still, he was very curious as to what she had to say. Gon, on the other hand, reacted angrily. The dark haired boy gritted his teeth and balled his hands up into fists._

 _"I met Ging." Gon said. "We talked. I know all that I need to about him."_

 _Kaiya's eyes were full of pity. She spoke to her son softly. "Ging can be very smooth and convincing. But there is still so much he might not have told you…"_

 _"I know that." The boy said definitively. "I'm not stupid."_

 _"But then why-"_

 _"If Ging thought it was important for me to know, then he would have told me." Gon interrupted her with that stubborn opinion of his. It took all of Killua's self-control not to laugh at his friend's antics. He trusted people so completely. If Killua was offered the unique opportunity to learn knew information about his father, he would jump at the chance. Loyal Gon, however, trusted his father more than his biological mother. He didn't want to hear a word against Ging._

 _"Ging isn't the man you think he is!" Kaiya snapped. Her voice was becoming high-pitched and desperate. Before Gon could protest any more, she blurted out the truth. "Ging murdered my sister!"_

 _Killua's eyes flew open wide in shock. Gon's anger faded into disbelief. Scanning the woman's face closely, Killua deduced that she was either an incredible liar or she was telling the truth._

 _There was a heavy silence over the table. Killua didn't dare say anything. He waited for Gon to speak._

 _"Explain." Was the only word that emerged from Gon's mouth._

 _"Both I and my sister, Kasumi, fell in love with Ging. He chose me and broke Kasumi's heart. But then Kasumi plotted to ruin our relationship. She wanted to steal Ging back from me. So Ging killed her. To protect me. This all happened after you were taken to Whale Island, Gon. Ging is a murderer."_

 _Gon shook his head. He was having a hard time processing all of this. "No. I don't believe that. Ging would never kill anyone in cold blood like that."_

 _"I thought I knew him too. But he never let anyone see the truth behind his smile. He fooled us both."_

 _Gon slammed his fist down onto the wooden table, rattling the glasses that rested on top of it. Tea spilled out of Kaiya's cup._

 _"I don't believe it." Gon insisted._

 _"Gon-" Killua began his attempt to calm his friend down, but realized he didn't have the words. Instead he turned to the woman._

 _"How do we know you are telling the truth?" Killua asked her. His voice as sharp and lethal, like a knife._

 _Kaiya pulled a small vile out of her jacket pocket. It was empty. "I figured my story would be unbelievable. That is why I offer you proof." Next, she pulled out a knife and sliced a thin cut onto her palm. Squeezing her fist, the blood dripped into the vile. After capping it, she offered it across the table. Killua took it. "You'll find through a blood test that I'm not lying about my relationship with Gon. He is my son. And because he is my son, I forgive him for believing his father instead of me. It is far more important to ensure his safety. Ging is dangerous. I've waited long enough to tell you the truth, Gon. I waited so that you could have a happy childhood. But now that you are a man, you need to know the truth."_

 _"Even if you are my mother, I still don't believe what you say about Ging."_

 _Kaiya let out a deep breath that she had been holding in for some time now. "Then you will have to ask him yourself. He is dangerous, but I don't think he would cause you any harm."_

 _"Where is he?" Gon growled._

 _"I can't be sure, but… I've heard rumors that he is taking refuge in the Padokian Wastelands."_

 _Killua narrowed his eyes in surprise. The Padokian Wastelands weren't too far from his former home. They were a dark, uninhabited region where no life could survive. Miles and miles of cold rock and barren terrain. Today it was mainly used as a place of refuge for criminals and lost souls. If Ging really was there…_

 _"Then I'll go find him." Gon said, leaving no room for discussion in his declaration._

 _"You must be careful." His mother said, her lips pressed together in fear. "I don't think Ging would harm you, but there are many other dangerous criminals that roam those lands."_

 _"I don't care. I'm going to find the truth."_

 _"And you'll go with him?" Kaiya asked Killua, her eyes wide and pleading. Killua snorted._

 _"Well I'm not going to let him go alone."_

 _"Thank you." The women whispered in gratitude. The tears continued to freely stream down her cheeks._

 _Gon stood up abruptly, not wanting to waste any more time. Killua and Kaiya followed in suite. Before the boys could leave the restraunt, the mother rushed up towards her child, reaching up to place her hands on either side of his face._

 _"I'm so sorry, my son. For everything. Although I wish that we could have met on better terms, I must express my joy that I did get to meet you. You have grown into a wonderful young man. I am proud."_

 _Gon nodded. "I'm going to learn the truth and bring it back to you. You're wrong about Ging. I know it."_

 _"For your sake," The woman said kindly, new tears sparkling in her eyes. "I hope I am."_

 _With that, the boys left the woman behind in the Sushi restraunt, leaving with a renewed determination. This visit had not gone at all like Killua expected, but he accepted the turn of events with open arms. It had been a while since something interesting happened. A journey into strange new lands to find Ging was all too familiar._

 _"You alright?" Killua asked of his friend as they emerged back into the sunlight. Gon kept his eyes focused straight ahead of him._

 _"Yeah." He replied although his voice was still seething with anger. "I just need to find Ging."_

 _"We will." Killua nodded. "But first let's find someone to run a quick blood test. Just to be sure Kaiya is who she says she it."_

 _"I don't care what the blood tests say. Mito is my real mom." Gon said sternly. "Being with Kaiya… it just didn't feel the same."_

 _Killua nodded in understanding. These days, Mito felt more like his mom than his biological mother ever did. Perhaps once they unveiled the truth everything would become clearer._

 _The blood test proved that Kaiya indeed was telling the truth about her relation to Gon. She was his mother. After that, the boys didn't waste time before venturing into the Wastelands._

 _That was when they ran into the Man in the Metal Mask._

 _And less than thirty minutes later, Gon was dead._

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **And there you have it, folks! This is the official halfway point of not just part two, but the whole story! How exciting is that?! Anyways this was a flashback heavy chapter- we met Gon's biological mother and got more info about the circumstances around Gon's death. I hope you were paying attention!**

 **I think you guys are going to enjoy the next chapter. It's a little break from all the serious stuff and is pretty fluffy if I do say so myself. And I do.**

 **As always, thank you for your support!**

 **Peace out,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter**


	16. Chapter 16: Sir Walter Purple Fin

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART TWO-  
**_

Chapter 16

Sir Walter Purple Fin

To most people, the seating area of the Airship looked safe, sterile, and somewhat cozy. The passenger's cabin wasn't especially spacious- there was only one central aisle with two seats on either side of it. However, the seats themselves were roomy, upholstered with a pleasant blue leather, and situated beside large porthole windows that filled the space with airy natural lighting. It seemed to be the perfect place to sit back and relax during a long flight. However, that was only how it appeared to normal people. To Hannah Hazel, the Airship appeared to be no less than the most lethal death trap ever invented.

People belonged on the ground. She firmly believed that. They were not supposed to flutter through the clouds like a bird and they definitely were not supposed to do so _willingly_. And to do it in a glorified hot air balloon? The whole process should be treated as voluntary manslaughter.

Her nagging, ingrown, long-standing fear of heights may or may not have influenced her opinion on the matter.

She anxiously tapped her foot, craning her neck up and down, left and right to see if anyone else was as freaked out as she was. The middle-aged business man in across the aisle was frowning as he typed furiously on his laptop. The red headed woman in front of her was reading a romance novel. A child a few rows back was screaming. But that was only because he was hungry.

Great. Not even the little kid was scared of flying.

But the most annoyingly calm person in the death-trap was, of course, Killua. He was slouched down in his seat with his hands in his pockets as he stared out the porthole from his window seat (Hannah insisted on taking the aisle seat because it made for a faster exit route in case of an emergency). The resident ex-assassin was humming a soft tune. Hannah tilted her head in confusion. She had never heard him hum before. In fact, she wasn't all that sure she has ever caught him in a good mood before. Normally, she would have questioned him about it, but she was much too busy being terrified and trying to hide that fact from the boy. The last thing she needed right now was for Killua to make fun of her for being scared.

She perked up as she saw one of the flight attendants (the bald one with the plastic surgery smile) make his way through the passenger cabin, checking to make sure that everything was ready for liftoff. As he passed by Hannah's seat, she caught his attention. She tried her best to keep her voice casual but it came out much wheezier than she intended.

"Excuse me, sir, but I have a quick question. How safe are these things? Like about how many would you say crash per year?"

Sitting beside her, Killua let out a chuckle but she refused to look at him. The flight attendant smiled that fake-looking smile of his. The whites of his teeth practically blinded her.

"I assure you ma'am, these Airships are extremely safe. You have nothing to worry about. Enjoy your flight."

Hannah scoffed. _Enjoy your flight? More like enjoy your death._

He continued walked down the aisle, leaving Hannah no more reassured than she had been before she asked the question.

"He didn't answer the question." She huffed out loud with her arms crossed.

"About 15% percent." Killua said soundlessly, still leaning back in his chair as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"What?"

"The answer to your question. Only about 15% of Airship flights crash every year. It's pretty safe."

"15%?!" Hannah squealed in terror. Then her rationality kicked in. She shook her head. "No, that can't be right. You're just messing with me. That would mean about 1 in 7 flights crash. That's ridiculous…"

Killua just shrugged. "Fine. I guess it's best if you don't know the truth anyway."

Hannah let that comment simmer. Her heart started beating faster. Her foot began to tap incessantly without her permission. She knew she shouldn't acknowledge his comment. She knew he was just messing with her. But it was no good. She was absolutely terrified. Eventually she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"You _are_ just messing with me… right?" She asked softly, not looking at him directly.

"Sure." His voice was patronizing.

"Killua!"

"Alright, yeah Hazel, I'm just messing with you! Relax, these things work well enough. Don't worry about it."

"Work well enough?" She burst out, turning to look at him with wild fear-crazed eyes.

"You need to calm down." He told her, much more serious this time. He looked back at her deeply. For once his oceany blue eyes felt calm and steady instead of wild and dangerous. To her surprise, her heart beat actually started to slow down and her muscles began to relax. She let out the breath she had been holding in for a long time.

"These things are freaky. I don't know if I'm going to be able to handle it when we actually lift off. I might faint." She admitted finally.

"You aren't going to faint." Killua rolled his eyes. There it was. The jerk was back. She missed him. NOT.

"You don't know that!"

"Yes. I do. Look out the window."

Hannah did and gasped at what she saw. They had already lifted off. While she had been freaking out about flying, the Airship had already climbed at least 3,000 feet into the air. The city streets and people below were becoming smaller and smaller while the horizon seemed to grow wider and wider. The world seemed a lot less grey and dull and so much more green and bright. She let out her breath. It was sort of beautiful.

"See?" Killua said with his victorious smile. "Not so bad, is it?"

"I hate it when you're right." Hannah's voice was a whisper as she continued to stare out the window. They were rising higher and higher. Eventually she couldn't see people or cars anymore and the buildings were shrinking to the size of a Lego.

"Get used to it."

"Never."

Killua laughed but didn't argue the point as he let Hannah lean over him to stare out the window. The most exciting part was when they rose up through the clouds. For a moment they were encased by fluffy white nothingness, impairing the girl's vision. Her muscles tensed back up again during this part, but before she could dissent into another panic attack, she felt Killua's hand on her thigh. This did nothing towards her attempt to relax, but it definitely did take her mind off her fear of heights.

Instinctively, she turned to look at Killua in wonder. It wasn't until then that she realized just how much she had invaded his personal space as she tried to get a better view out the porthole. Their noses were practically brushing.

Instantly Hannah pulled away and sat back down entirely in her own seat. She picked Killua's hand up off of her leg and threw in back into his lap (although she was secretly reluctant to do so).

"Alright, so let's get down to business." Hannah declared now that most of her nerves had gone away and her mind was on something else far more pressing. Killua didn't take her seriously, of course. He wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"In public? Fine by me but I didn't think you were that kind of girl."

At first Hannah didn't understand his response but when her mind put two and two together, her face flushed a violent beet red.

"Get your head out of the gutter! I mean we need to talk about my conditions."

"I didn't know you were sick."

"My _conditions_! Plural. As in the conditions for us being friends."

Killua scratched his chin, feigning deep thought. "Hmm, I know I'm no more of an expert on friendship than you are, but I don't think that's how it works."

"Well our situation is unique." Hannah crossed her arms. "I don't normally make friends with professional assassins."

Killua glanced around the Airship to make sure no one was listening to their conversation. "Try a little harder to blow my cover, would you?"

"Yikes sorry. I forgot."

Killua rolled his eyes and then flippantly flicked his wrist in circles, gesturing for her to continue. "Anyway, let's hear these conditions of yours."

"Alright." Hannah cleared her throat to make herself sound more professional. "First of all you have to promise that you aren't going to become an assassin again."

"Done."

"And that means no killing either."

"Unless it's necessary."

"What?! No, I mean no killing at all. No matter the circumstances."

"Sometimes it's necessary, Hannah. I don't live in happy bunny butterfly land where everyone holds hands and sings 'Kum Ba Yah' around a fire."

"I don't- Ugh, fine. No killing unless it's absolutely necessary. And that means you're doing it to save someone's life or protect mankind!"

"Easy."

"And the second condition is that you have to be honest with me. No keeping secrets that affect me or have to do with the whole Man in the Metal Mask thing."

Killua nodded. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. You can't shut me out. I'm your friend that means I'm going to be there for you no matter what. Whether you like it or not."

"Are you implying that I'm not going to like it?"

"Does this mean you are agreeing to all the terms?" Hannah asked nervously. She really hoped he said yes. Otherwise she was wasting a whole lot of time by coming on this trip…

"Sure." He shrugged his shoulders. Not exactly the resounding confirmation she was looking for.

"That didn't sound too genuine…"

"Well, that's just because your conditions are a bit irrelevant."

Hannah frowned. "How so?"

"They are the conditions for us being friends right?" Killua smiled a smile at her that was full of trouble. "But the problem is that I don't plan on us being just friends for too much longer."

Hannah froze and her heart stopped beating. Did he really just say that? Oh, he did really just say that. Her cheeks were once again blushing away like it was all they knew to do and her heart was flopping around inside her just like a fish out of water.

Shaking her head, she quickly snapped herself out of the trance. "It also applies to any sort of relationship we might share!" She blurted this out rather fast, causing Killua to raise an eyebrow. She hated how cool he was sometimes.

"Oh? And what sort of relationship do you want to share? I'm open to suggestions."

Before she knew it, his hand was back on her leg, just above her knee. She took her gaze from his eyes to his precariously placed hand and then back to his eyes.

"Let's just take things slow." She did not sound sure of herself at all. Killua noticed. Slowly he started to move his hand up her leg. The wicked smile grew on his face every bit as slowly.

"How slow?" He asked her and for a moment, Hannah didn't have the words to respond with. His hand was still creeping up her leg and it was making her feel all sorts of things at the moment.

She gulped. "Like snail slow. Slower than those little snails I used to play with at recess when I was a kid."

Killua took his hand back and shot her an incredulous look, but she didn't miss the fact that it was mingled with disappointment as well. "Snails? Wow, that is a fantastic way to ruin the mood."

"What mood?" Hannah instantly lied, thinking more clearly now that they were no longer touching. "There is no mood. I sense no mood. I'm just trying to use a metaphor that accurately represents the feelings I have on the relationship we may or may not have in the future."

The words tumbled out of her like vomit. She instantly regretted them.

"Then why are you so… flustered?

"W-what makes you think I- that I'm flustered?" He shot her a look that said, _seriously?_ Hannah had to recover from this. Fast. "Alright, maybe I'm a little flustered, but that's only because I'm scared of heights, remember. I'm just trying not to die in this thing."

"I'd be more worried about dying from a heart attack if I were you."

Hannah grimaced and placed a hand on her chest as if attempting to slow the rapid thump of her heart. It refused to relent. She let out some fake laughter that sounded like she was in pain.

"That's clearly just because I'm scared."

"Is that why you're blushing too? Your cheeks are redder than a tomato."

"I uh- that's because-"

"Don't worry." He quickly said, looking at her with such intensity that Hannah swore she was about to burst. "I think it's cute."

"I'm going to take a nap!" Hannah announced suddenly, tearing her eyes away from his. "And I'm going to snore. And drool. And it's going to be super unattractive so you can just sit back and not stare at me like that."

"Like what?"

She paused and then dropped her voice into a soft whisper, all goofiness forgotten.

"Like you did when you dropped me off at my apartment the night of our first date."

Hannah remembered the moment vividly. He had been so close to kissing her. For the first time that whole night he looked unguarded, exposed. For just a brief moment he stopped planning out every move he made an hour before he made it and just acted. And Hannah had reacted to it perfectly. But then he had pulled away and the moment was ruined. But Hannah never forgot how he looked at her. So much had happened since then, but one thing hadn't. Desire.

"Why?" He asked, just as soft. Judging from the look on his face, Killua was remembering the moment as well. He dropped his teasing and flirting and looked at her in honest curiosity. She could swear that she saw a hint of frustration in his voice as well.

"Because… I'm just not ready for the more-than-friends part of our relationship. Not yet. Everything has been happening so quickly and it's a lot to take in. I think I need to get used to being your friend first."

For a moment, Killua's face didn't move as he took in her words. And then he nodded once.

"Whatever you need."

"Thank you." Hannah let out a deep sigh of relief. And then, in an attempt to lighten up the mood that had suddenly become heavy, she smiled and said something that she could probably later come to regret. "Does this mean you're going to stop flirting with me now?"

And just like that, his mischievous, devilish grin was back.

"Definitely not."

Playing along with the act, Hannah let out a groan of exasperation, but internally her heart was singing with happiness. She was on the right path with Killua. Not the sullen, angry, killer Killua, but the boyish, charming confident Killua. And she liked him very much.

XXX

By the time Hannah and Killua landed, night had fallen. Since their destination, Whale Island, was a small piece of land without an airport, the only way to get to it was by boat. And the next boat for Whale Island wouldn't leave until the following morning. That meant the pair of teens had to share a hotel room for the night.

The very sound of those words sent shimmers through Hannah's body, but she wasn't as concerned as she would have been before. She felt as though she had reached an understanding with Killua and sharing a hotel room with him would be completely fine.

She hoped.

Anyway, the Marina Inn was a lovely little hotel that had been open for many decades thanks to its favorable location just across the street from the North Ocean Marina and Boat Docks. A steady flow of customers flooded through the cozy inn all year round whether it be travelers fresh from a long salt water journey or seasoned fisherman that needed a place to stay while on shore. That being said, Killua and Hannah were lucky to snag the last available room when they arrived.

There was only one problem.

There was only one bed in the hotel room.

As Hannah followed Killua into the small room, she nearly dropped her duffle bag in shock. She must have sent out a general vibe of panic, because Killua turned around to look at her.

"Is there a problem?" Killua asked, feigning innocence. His smirk, however, told her that he knew exactly what the problem was.

"There's only one bed!"

"I'm still not seeing the problem." He said casually, dropping his bag onto the stiff carpet and plopping himself down on the foot of the bed. Hannah gritted her teeth and forced a smile, placing her hands on her hips.

"I guess there is no problem. If you don't mind sleeping on the floor."

Killua laughed. "Are you really so scared of me that you refuse to share a bed with me for a single night?"

"I'm not scared of you! I'm… apprehensive."

"Whatever." He replied. "Anyway we should try to get in as much sleep as we can tonight. We have to be up early tomorrow at 6 AM to make our boat. You want first shower? It might give you some time to sort out your issues."

"I don't have any issues!" She declared, grabbing some clothes out of her bag to sleep in before she stormed into the small bathroom to take a shower.

Cranking up the shower up to heat high, Hannah relaxed in the much needed alone time. Killua had a knack of making her crazy and getting on her nerves. However, he also had a knack of making swoon inside like a preteen boyband fangirl. It was an awfully confusing feeling- especially considering his dark past.

And that got her thinking. She really didn't know much about his "dark past". She just knew it was dark. He was from a family of professional assassins and had a dysfunctional relationship with said family. But other than that, what did she really know about his childhood? She made up her mind to find out.

About twenty minutes later, Hannah emerged from the bathroom fully dressed in a T-Shirt and shorts to sleep in.

"Alright, your turn." Hannah said, sitting on the bed next to him. It looked as if he hadn't moved the whole time. He smirked at her.

"You look good with wet hair."

Self-consciously, Hannah's hands flew to her still damp hair, running her fingers through the tangles. She was feisty in her reply to him. "Go take your shower."

He winked. "Try not to miss me too much."

While it was Killua's turn to shower, Hannah checked her phone for any texts or calls she might have missed during the flight. To nobody's surprise, her inbox was empty as usual. Well, expect for the good night text from her mom. But that didn't really count. She typed back a speedy reply and added a heart for good measure.

Next she flipped over to her social media account. Her feed was blown up with pictures of college kids out doing collegy things. It was a Friday night after all. Piking her interest in particular was the selfie of her roommates, Becca and Viola, at a downtown bar. They were surrounded by cute boys and their pretty upperclassmen girlfriends, making weird faces at the camera. They seemed to be well beyond tipsy. Hannah sighed. Looks like her roomies weren't missing her.

They were skeptical (and even more certain that she was sleeping with Killua) when she announced that she was going home for the weekend, but at least she had a cover. She didn't know what they would say if they knew exactly what her life had become or who exactly Killua was.

And speaking of Killua, he finished with his shower in half the time that Hannah took. And to Hannah's shock, he emerged from the bathroom wearing only a pair of shorts. He was shirtless.

Instantly, she returned her attention to her phone screen, appearing to be reading something _very_ interesting. She did _not_ want to be caught staring. And judging from the brief glimpse of carved biceps and sculpted abs she caught a few moments prior, she knew that there was a very good chance that she might not be able to look away if she got the full view. It was times like this where she wished Killua was less attractive. It was also times like this where she was so grateful that he was.

"I don't mind if you look, you know. It's not a crime." His voice was tempting and teasing. A jolt of frustration buzzed through her. No. She would not allow Killua to win. Yes, she would look at him, but she would not let her gaze waver from his face. Nothing below the neck.

She did so with all her will power. "Maybe I would if there was something to look at."

He chuckled as he reached for a shirt to sling on. In that brief moment where his vision was obstructed by the shirt coming on over his head, Hannah was able to get the full view and she was left with only one thought.

 _Its guys like him that are made to go shirtless._

Once he was fully clothed, Hannah was able to think clearly again and get back to her previous agenda.

"We're going to be visiting Mito, right? Tell me more about her." Hannah asked. "She's Gon's mom, isn't she?"

Killua joined her on the bed, sitting with his legs crossed a frustrating- no- _appropriate_ distance away from her.

"No, his aunt. But he considers her his mom." He answered casually.

"What about his real mom?"

Hannah saw something dark flash through Killua's eyes. He gave her a response that she got the sense wasn't the full story. "She had him young and gave him up."

"I see. But at least he had his Aunt. She must be a nice woman to take him in and raise him as her own."

"She's great. Loving. Sweet. Generous. Treated Gon as if he were her own son."

"You seem pretty fond of her too." Hannah pointed out the obvious. It made sense that he would be close to his best friend's mom if he ran away from home so young. But the extent to which Killua felt this way surprised her.

"Closest thing to a mother I ever had." He said quietly.

And there it was. Hannah saw her golden opportunity. It wasn't often that Killua let down his guard, but when he did, Hannah knew better than to not take advantage of it.

"You did it again." Hannah replied with a soft smile. When Killua shot her a questioning glance, Hannah explained. "You mentioned your family. Or lack thereof."

"So?"

"So I want to hear about them. I want to hear about what your childhood was like."

"I'm going to have to disappoint you."

And just like that, Hannah saw her opportunity begin to eclipse. She had to make a move, so she blurted out the first story that came to her mind.

"The first pet I ever had was a goldfish. I named him Sir Walter Purple Fin. He didn't _actually_ have a purple fin, but I was a really weird kid and I didn't care. Sir Walter Purple Fin and I had a good run. I'd stare at him. He'd stare back at me. But then he died when I was eight. I cried for hours. My parents tried to flush him down the toilet but I threw this huge fit and so they helped me hold a funeral for him instead. We ended up burying him in my mom's flower garden. My parents offered to buy me another fish, but I refused. I felt like I would be betraying Sir Walter if I did."

When she finished rambling, Killua had his mouth open in an almost stupefied sort of look.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He ended up saying slowly. Hannah giggled a little at his reaction, but then collected herself to make her point.

"I told you something about my childhood. Now you have to tell me something about yours." She offered.

Killua considered this for a moment. "And what's in it for me?"

"You get to learn about my life as a kid. As you can already tell it was _very_ fascinating."

"Hmm as much as I do enjoy picturing you as a weirdo eight year old with a dead, improperly named goldfish, I don't think that incentive is good enough. You're such a chatterbox all I'd have to do is ask if I ever wanted to know something."

"True." Hannah admitted. There was no denying that one. "Alright so then what do you want in exchange for your cooperation?"

"I want the bed." He said with an evil smirk. "You can choose whether or not you wish to join me."

"Fine." Hannah surprised him by answering so quickly. There was no way Killua was going to relent to sleeping on the floor anyway, so she might as well get something from it. "It's your turn."

"I have four siblings." He said. "Two older. Two younger. Don't like any of them very much expect Alluka, who you've already met."

Hannah smiled. "Good to know. Alright, my turn again. Let's see… My parents' names are Beth and Martin Hazel. My mom is an elementary school teacher and my dad works for this tech company. They've been married for thirty three years and are still in love."

"That means they were married for 14 years before you were born."

Hannah nodded. "Nice math skills. And yeah it's pretty weird, huh?"

Killua didn't answer that. He just went on to telling her about his parents. "My parents' names are Kikyo and Silva Zoldyck. They're both professional assassins. I don't care to know how long they've been married and both are so psychotic I don't think they are capable of love."

"That doesn't count. You have to tell me something I don't know- more than just their names."

"You should appreciate knowing their names. You'd get a lot of money for disclosing them."

"Seriously? Would I get money for turning you in?"

"8 Million Jenny."

"Really?!" Hannah proclaimed with bulging eyes. "Shoot, I should rethink our friendship."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll also tell you that I have a grandfather who is either the only sane person in my family or the craziest out of all of us. I'm not sure which."

Hannah laughed. "Very cryptic but I'll take it."

"Your turn again." Killua said as he laid down on the bed with his hands tucked behind his head. "And I want to hear something about that best friend of yours."

Even though Killua brought the topic up so casually, Hannah felt her heart contract sharply in her chest at the mention of Claire. Memories of the sweet, curly-haired girl flooded through Hannah's mind painfully. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about her… Eventually, she let out a breath. If Killua was talking about things he didn't want to talk about, then it was only fair for her to do the same.

"Claire and I knew each other since we were six years old. She shared her cookie with me when I forgot to bring mine during lunch. We were best friends ever since."

Killua nodded.

"I didn't go to any school. I wasn't allowed to have any friends. I trained to be an assassin since I was born." He said the words bluntly. It was a sharp comparison to Hannah's cookie talk.

"What sort of training can a newborn do?"

Killua gave her a crooked smile. "Let's just put it this way. Most babies cry when their parents leave them behind. I cried when my parents walked into the room."

Hannah suddenly felt very faint. Just what exactly had Killua gone through as a kid? Torture? Violence? Abuse? Or maybe all of those things were normal in the Zoldyck house. Hannah suddenly decided that perhaps it was best if she didn't dig for too many more details in that area.

"Your turn again." Killua reminded her gently.

"My childhood wasn't anything like yours." Hannah said shaking her head. "I don't think anyone had a childhood quite like yours. But Claire… she probably could relate to you more than I could. She never told me much about it but her dad was abusive to her mom. That caused her a lot of stress and grief. She never told me for sure but I think that her dad started abusing her too. She'd sometimes come to school with bruises on her arms… She started getting really distant. We stopped talking outside of school. I thought she just needed some space, but when you combined her family issues with the fact that she was always bullied by the kids at school because her hair was different and she didn't wear the nicest clothes… I found out that she committed suicide in the middle of the night on a weekday. I didn't go back to school for a week. It was all too much."

Killua looked at her closely for a moment, drinking in her facial expressions with those inquisitive blue eyes of his.

"I'm sorry."

Normally those words frustrated or angered her when they came from the mouth of a pitying passerby. But they meant so much more coming from him. Hannah knew that Killua didn't say those words very much- if at all. And so he meant them. Truly meant them. And it meant a lot to Hannah.

After that, the pair of nineteen year olds silently agreed that they should move on from the serious topics. Instead Hannah asked if Killua ever had any fun as a kid and he nodded with a genuine smile, telling her about his days with Alluka and her unique abilities. He told her a lot of things. The more he talked the more he loosened up and the more he was willing to share. Eventually they didn't need the structure of the game and could just share bits of their respective childhoods without forcing anything. He told her about each of his siblings, about his first hunter exam where he met his three friends, about his travels with Gon and about the whole host of trouble they had gotten into. Hannah chipped in little tidbits about herself- her favorite subjects in school, the sports she tried and failed at, the awards she won at her school's Art Shows. Of course it all seemed terribly bland and mundane in comparison to Killua's tales of mutant ants, kamikaze dodgeball and lethal video games, but he seemed every bit as interested in her tales as she was in his.

Before Hannah knew it they had talked a good portion of the night away. When she checked her phone, it was verging on 1:30 AM. They had to wake up at 6:00 the same morning to catch their boat to Whale Island. It was time for bed. And Killua had kept his side of the deal.

"So are you going to be stubborn and spend the night on the floor or are you going to suck it up and sleep with me." He asked her.

Hannah blushed at his word choice. That was _definitely_ on purpose. Nevertheless, Hannah nodded. "I'm not going to sleep on the floor, but you better behave yourself, mister." She pulled back the covers on her side of the bed and slid beneath them.

"When do I not, _miss_?" Killua got beneath the cover beside her, turning on his side so that he could face her. The bed was much too small. His face was much too close hers.

"99% of the time."

"And the other one percent."

"You're surprisingly nice. Like tonight. Thanks for sharing about your family and childhood. I know that wasn't easy for you, but I appreciate it. And thanks for listening to me. It felt good to talk about it."

Despite her initial anxiety, Hannah felt surprisingly comfortable next to him. He somehow looked less sharp and polished while surrounded by the soft whites of bedsheets and pillows. She liked it.

"My pleasure." He said. "Besides, it was worth it. I'm going to hold that goldfish story over your head for a long time."

"I look forward to it." Hannah said, giggling softly.

"Goodnight, Hazel." Killua reached over to the lamp and flipped it off.

"Goodnight, Killua."

Less than five minutes later, Hannah had fallen asleep. She slept better than she had in weeks.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **98% sure I bombed my OChem Test. 99% sure I couldn't care less. 100% sure I loved writing this chapter.**

 **It's late, so I'll leave it at that. Let me know what you think in a review. Can't wait for you guys to read the next chapter.**

 **Peace,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter.**


	17. Chapter 17: Whale Island

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART TWO-  
**_

Chapter 17

Whale Island

The next morning came early. Way too early. Like so early that Hannah wanted to murder the incessant musical tone playing on her phone as it acted as an ultra-annoying alarm clock. Why must her phone blare such obscenely cheerful rings at such an ungodly hour?

Hannah didn't even want to move to press the snooze button on the alarm. Just the idea of lifting her arm beyond the cozy comfort of the sheets was too much to bare. The bed was just too warm and comfortable. She nestled her head into her soft pillow and pretended like she was still sleeping. The only strange thing was that her pillow wasn't all that soft. In fact it was rather hard. And smelled really good. Like frosty pines. And it was moving up and down, like it was breathing.

"Morning, sleeping beauty." Killua's voice said. She could feel his breath brushing the top of her head.

It wasn't until then that she realized she wasn't resting her head on a pillow at all. It was Killua! She was cuddled up next to him with her head resting on his chest and her arm thrown across his body!

She let out an odd noise somewhere between and squeal and a choking sound as she sat up abruptly, putting as much space between them as she could. She finally turned off the alarm on her phone. She was fully awake now.

And then there was Killua. That asshole. He was still lounging in bed completely relaxed with a smug look on his face. "Sleep well?"

"No." Hannah immediately blurted out. But it was no good. Both of them knew she was lying. She had to do damage control and fast. "Sorry about that. I'm a… Touchy sleeper. Always have been. It has nothing to do with you!"

"No worries. I didn't mind at all. In fact-"

"I'm going to go get ready! Don't want to miss the boat!"

And then Hannah got out of the room and into the bathroom, moving at speeds that would have made her old track coach proud.

Fighting off her embarrassment, Hannah put on her clothes for the day- jeans and a crimson sweater- and then pulled back her honey brown bangs into a half-up-half-down hairstyle. Once she brushed her teeth and slapped on some hasty make up, she was ready to go. When she emerged from the bathroom, Killua was waiting patiently for her, all ready to go as well. He was wearing shorts and a hoodie.

"Took you long enough." Killua said. "Come on, we're going to be late."

"Drama queen."

"Funny. You weren't this hostile when you were cuddling with me last night." He held the door open for her as he talked, oblivious to the early hour. After her initial wake up shock, Hannah was beginning to feel drowsy again. And drowsy meant grouchy.

"What can I say? You are just so snugly I couldn't resist." Sarcasm was her best defense at this point. "Like a big teddy bear really."

They checked out of the hotel and walked across the street to the boat docks.

Even though the early hour was still not sitting well with Hannah, she couldn't help but appreciate the scenery as she walked next to Killua down to the boat docks. The crisp morning air was made even crisper with the stiff breeze rolling off the ocean, the smell of salt riding on its current. Sailboats, motorboats, yachts, catamarans, and even old styled wooden mast boats that reminded Hannah of pirate ships decorated the docks, each bringing their own stylistic flare to the setting. The air tasted a little fishy. The sound of boots echoed against wooden planks as sailors prepared for their day at sea. Seagulls cawed out, their calls bringing music to what would have otherwise been a quiet morning. Alone, all of these sights, sounds and smells would have fascinated Hannah to no end, but they all paled in comparison to the ocean itself.

She had never seen the ocean in person before. And there was no way she could have ever been truly prepared for it. It was so _vast._ It expanded out for miles, churning and swirling with calm waves of dark, brilliant blue, until it collided with a scarlet horizon in a battle of colors. The sun seemed to emerge from the tumultuous waters themselves, radiating its reds and oranges and yellows out into the sky to light up the world.

"Don't tell me you're scared of the ocean too." Killua said to her. He was taking in the sight as well. The sunrise making his hair shine.

"It's beautiful."

He smiled at her. "I've seen better."

Killua led her to the ship they would be taking to Whale Island. It was a large steam boat holding all sorts of cargo being sent to Whale Island for trade. They'd be hitching a ride. Legally, of course. Hannah had no intention of becoming a stowaway. Killua paid the captain of the ship and secured their passage. It was a common practice, Killua had explained to her. Not many people come and go to Whale Island so there aren't many passenger ships designed specifically for transporting people. Most of the time you had to hitch a ride with some other ship.

Killua helped her step along the gang plank onto the deck of the steamboat. It was a nice ship. The floors were a light wood and the exterior was crisp and white. Along the center of the vessel was a row of two gigantic steam pipes. There were several sailors hustling across the top deck, preparing the ship for departure. Hannah felt strangely out of place with her skinny jeans and duffle bag.

"How long is this trip anyway?" Hannah asked as they walked across the boat deck. She tried not to stumble. Even though the boat was still docked, the waves were already causing the ship to sift from side to side. She really hoped she wasn't the type to get sea sick… but then again she was already feeling sort of dizzy. Despite her best efforts, Hannah tripped over her own foot. But thankfully she caught herself before she could face plant onto the deck.

"About five hours." Killua answered. She felt a wave of appreciation that he didn't comment on her stumble.

"Good. I'm getting in some more sleep."

"Feel free to use your teddy bear to get comfortable." He winked at her. And just like that they feeling of appreciation was gone.

"Don't hold your breath."

Within ten minutes the ship was on its way out into the open ocean, headed towards Whale Island. Although they were offered sleeping space in a lower deck cabin, Killua and Hannah to spend the journey out on the top deck in the ocean air.

To Hannah's relief, she didn't get too sick. Only a little dizziness, which she was more than capable of handling. She enjoyed leaning out over the iron handrails lining the ship's edge and staring out into the tumbling waters below.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, the water because a deeper and truer blue. It was funny. She had compared Killua's eyes to the oceans so many times before without ever having actually seen the ocean. But now that she was right on top of it, she couldn't help but marvel at how spot on her comparison actually was. His eyes were just like the cresting and falling waves below her. Only a little more dangerous.

Hannah spent the rest of the journey as promised, dozing in and out of sleep as she rested her head on Killua's shoulder. That didn't qualify as cuddling, right? It was a completely platonic thing to do?

Regardless, Hannah slept away the majority of the five hour trip. She might have slept even longer if Killua wasn't beside her to wake her up.

"Rise and shine, Hazel. We're here."

Eyelashes fluttering open slowly, Hannah regained consciousness, feeling much better rested than when she first woke up this morning. The sun was now at its full apex in the sky, casting the ocean in a bright sunny hue. She stood up with Killua and looked out beyond the rails.

"That must be Whale Island! Wow, it actually does look like a whale." She exclaimed, pointing out at the lump of land sticking up from the ocean. It consisted of two hills- one much larger than the other. From a profile perspective it looked like a humpback whale was coming up for a breath of air.

Killua snorted. "What were you expecting?"

"I don't know. I thought maybe the island got its name from being a whale watching destination or something."

It wasn't too much longer before the pair was departing from the ship and emerging on the little port city. The Whale Island Port was the only real town on the island, the rest was largely uninhabited by humans except for a few choice locations (such as Mito's house). But despite being small, the port had a charming vibe. Fisherman were advertising their catches. Merchants were carrying their cargo. Children were running around, looking for trouble.

"You ready for a hike?" Killua asked her. "Mito's place is at the top of the hill."

"You could have warned me!"

"But then it wouldn't have been a surprise."

"Fine, but you might have to carry me on the final stretch."

Turns out, Hannah did not need to be carried. Her thighs stung a little bit towards the end of the trek uphill, but she was largely okay.

"How's your side holding up?" Killua asked her for about the millionth time.

"Still doing good." Hannah responded cheerfully. "Leorio works magic."

Mito's house was so lovely that Hannah split into a huge smile upon sight of it, forgetting her wobbly legs and heaving chest for the moment. It was a charming two story cottage with creamy outer walls paneled by dark wood and a rustic red roof with a smoking chimney sticking out the top.

Hannah and Killua walked up the sandy narrow path towards the house slowly. In fact, there pace was a little too slow. Killua had not shown this sort of restraint while he was plowing up the hill, leaving her struggling in the dust.

They paused in front of the door. Killua stared straight ahead but he made no move to knock on the door. Hannah frowned. Was he being hesitant? Was he nervous, or something?

"Is something wrong?" She asked softly, not wanting to press any wrong buttons.

"Course not." His reply was snappy.

"Then why do I feel like something is wrong?"

"Hallucinations. Schizophrenia. Dementia. Take your pick."

"Killua." Hannah replied sternly, giving him a hard look.

"What?"

"You're scared, aren't you? You're scared that Mito is going to be angry with you."

"That's ridiculous."

"It's really not. You blame yourself for Gon's death- which you really shouldn't, by the way. You didn't come to Gon's funeral. You haven't showed your face for over six months. And now you're coming back. Of course you're nervous for how she is going to react."

Killua swallowed, still refusing to look anywhere but at the closed door in front of him. His fists knotted up into fists. He shook his head.

"I'm the reason her son is dead. Nothing will ever change that."

"You blame yourself. I'd be willing to bet that Mito doesn't."

"Semantics."

"You love semantics."

"True."

"You know you're going to have to knock on the door eventually, right? I didn't come all this way for you to chicken out."

To Hannah's surprise, Killua didn't try to protest. He reached out and grabbed her hand, giving her a small squeeze. Their fingers intertwined.

"Hazel."

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're here."

And then the moment was gone. Killua released her hand and used his own to knock on the door, giving the wooden panel three sturdy taps. A heavy period of silence led up to the moment the door finally swung open, revealing a beautiful woman behind it.

Her creamy pale skin contrasted sharply with her fiery orange hair, which was pulled back loosely into a messy bun. She was wearing a soft lavender blouse, matching a plain skirt that fell down to her ankles. Despite her beauty, there were bags beneath her eyes and her shoulders seemed to be heavy.

"Killua?" The woman said breathlessly. Her eyes were large and on the verge of becoming a little watery. A hand rose to her mouth in sheer disbelief. When she removed the hand, a smile appeared behind it. Mito flung herself at Killua immediately and engulfed him in a massive hug, closing her eyes, causing tears to peak out beneath them. "You're alright! You've come back!"

Killua didn't have time to respond. The hug was over as quickly as it had come. Mito released him rather roughly. Her smile faded into the scowl of a scolding mother. She was still crying happy tears, however. "Where have you been?! You didn't come to the funeral! I didn't know if you were alive or dead! You worried me so much!"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Mito, I-"

"How many times do I have to ask you to call me Aunt Mito?!" Mito exclaimed. She hugged Killua again, but it was much less aggressive this time. Killua had the chance to return the hug to the woman who had become so much like a real mother to him over the years.

Hannah's heart warmed at the sight of the reunion. They may not be related, but _this_ was family. This was what Killua had missed out on for so much of his life. The unconditional love. The forgiveness. The joy. _This_ was what family was all about.

When Mito finally released the white haired teen, she turned to Hannah as if she was seeing the girl for the first time. She smiled warmly, looking from Killua to Hannah. And then from Hannah back to Killua.

"And who might this be?" She asked.

"My name is Hannah Hazel. I'm a friend of Killua's." The girl said cheerfully, offering out a hand to shake. She was careful to be extremely polite. This was just about as close as she was ever going to get to meeting a parent of Killua's, so she wanted to make a good first impression.

Instead of returning the handshake, Mito gave Hannah a warm hug as well.

"It's lovely to meet you, Hannah. I'm very happy to see Killua has a friend such as yourself."

At first Hannah was overwhelmingly happy by the welcome. But then she saw the knowing glance in Mito's eyes. The silent understanding the resonated in her smile. Oh no, Mito probably thought that she and Killua were-

"Yeah, friends!" Hannah said. Her voice was unnaturally high-pitched. "We aren't toge-

"Give it up, Hazel." Killua interrupted her smoothly, snaking an arm around her waist that was definitely sending Mito the wrong impression on the status of their relationship.

But in the end, Hannah sighed and decided to do as he suggested and give it up. She allowed Killua to steer her into the quaint hilltop house.

The interior of the home was every bit as warm as the outside. Although it was kept relatively simple with its white walls, wood floors, and neutral furniture, it still contained a peaceful charm from its country setting.

"You two can have a seat in the living room." Mito said. "I'll fix up a pot of tea so that we can have a nice talk."

"Thank you, that sound great." Hannah replied politely. She sat down with Killua on the couch while Mito started boiling water. She was back in the living room to join them while she waited.

"So what brings you back here, Killua?" Mito asked, settling herself in an armchair across from her visitors. "Don't tell me it's because you wanted to see me."

"Would that come as such a surprise?" He evaded the question with flawless charm and then changed the subject. "Where is Abe?"

"She's just taking a nap. I'm afraid that's all she does these days."

"I see."

"I've been worried about you, Killua." Mito said with a motherly expression. "Do I even want to ask what you've been up to recently?"

"There's no need to worry. I merely needed some time to myself."

It was a good thing that Hannah wasn't drinking any tea yet, or she would have spit it out after hearing that comment come from Killua's mouth. But at the same time, he spoke the lie with such ease that Hannah almost believed it.

"Not too much time to yourself though." Mito said, looking at Hannah. "Tell me, how did you two meet?"

Killua and Hannah shared a look.

"Take it away, Hazel." He said smoothly. "You tell the story much better than I."

 _TRAITOR!_ Hannah wanted to scream at him. But she had to settle for shooting him her signature death glare. Great, now he was going to make her lie too! Or maybe she should just come out and tell the truth. That would sound great. _Oh yeah, Killua and I met when he was trying to assassinate me. It was love at first sight really…_

"We met in the library where I work." Hannah opted to say instead. "Killua was being stubborn because it was closing time, but he refused to leave before he finished reading his book."

Mito laughed. "Oh, that does sound like Killua. Minus the book part, of course. I didn't know you enjoyed reading, Killua?"

"It wasn't the book that made me reluctant to leave." He said, reeling off another lie smooth as honey. "It was the company."

Hannah hated that the comment made her blush. She knew he was full of crap, but hearing him say that in front of Mito had her feel quite flushed. The woman laughed.

"How romantic."

"We aren't-"

"Ah, Mito, it looks like the water is boiling." Killua interrupted Hannah's protest. Sure enough the pot began to whistle a few moments later.

"You're right! Wonderful ears, Killua. I remember Gon used to do the same thing… I'll be right back with the tea."

The moment Mito disappeared back into the kitchen, Hannah slapped her palm to her forehead and shook her head. She whispered fiercely to the boy sitting beside her.

"Tell me, are you concerned about worrying Mito, or are you just a pathological liar? You're spouting off so much crap I wouldn't be surprised if you had a bean burrito for lunch."

He smiled back at her. "Both."

"Great." Hannah said, rolling her eyes. "Now I'm wondering what else you're lying to me about."

"So how do you like Mito? She's lovely, isn't she?"

"She's wonderful. And so is her home. But that's not the point! I'm not letting you get away with changing the subject, mister!"

"Looks like I am." Killua gestured to the sight of Mito returning with the pot of tea in hand. "Tough luck."

"We'll continue this conversation later." Hannah snapped in frustration.

"Can't wait."

"What are you two talking about?" Mito asked with a smile. Carefully, she poured the steaming water into three tea cups and then placed the bags inside of them.

"Nothing of importance." Killua said smoothly. He then looked at his makeshift mother, eyes softening with concern, all laughter gone. "So how have you been holding up, Mito?"

She smiled sadly. "For the millionth time, it's Aunt Mito to you. And I've been fine, I suppose. It's been hard, but… well I've managed."

"Has Ging come by at all?" Killua asked. Hannah's ear pricked at the familiar name. If she wasn't mistaken, she remembered Ging being the name of Gon's father.

"No, he hasn't." Mito replied, weariness showing on her face.

"Not even for the funeral?"

"I'm afraid not."

"I see." Killua said, turning his gaze to stare at his feet. He was thinking hard. Hannah could see the wheels turning inside his head and wished that she could know what was going on inside of that mind of his.

Mito took a sip of tea and Hannah followed in suit, grateful to have something to do with her hands. The air was growing rather thick.

"Where is he buried?" Killua asked, looking up from his contemplation. Mito pursed her lips.

"In the forest. About two miles east of here. We found a lovely spot beneath a great Red Oak tree…"

Killua stood up suddenly. "I need to see him."

Frowning, Mito protested. "But you haven't even touched your tea-"

"I'll be back before long."

"I see." Mito said upon hearing his definitive tone. "This is why you returned. I should have known."

"I've waited far too long." Killua nodded. "Hannah will keep you company while I'm gone."

"I thought I was going with you?" Hannah stood up beside him. The whole point of her being here was to give him support. He wasn't supposed to just leave her behind now, was he?

"You've been great." He said. "But this is something I need to do on my own."

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" She asked. She wasn't hurt, she was simply worried about him.

"Don't worry." He said, as if he were reading her mind. "I'll be fine. You'll be here when I get back. That's more than enough."

"I hope so."

Killua laughed, but it sounded a little bit too forced. He kissed her on the cheek. "Don't worry. You need to lighten up."

With that, Killua smiled at her one last time and walked away, heading back towards the door they had entered through what seemed like only moments ago. Hannah's cheek still felt warm where Killua had kissed her.

"Hypocrite." She said softly as the door slammed shut behind him.

XXX

As promised, Gon's grave stood beneath the broad branches of a Red Oak Tree. The Red Oak stood tall and old with its wide, withering branches and soft, jagged leaves. It was different from the other trees in the cluster of forest that covered the majority of Whale Island. The green of the leaves was a little brighter and the mighty trunk was a little wider. It was whole and full, standing prominently in a clearing, rising from wavy wisps of butter-soft grass that flowed in the wind with the slowest sort of grace.

Sitting at the base of the trunk, the gravestone itself was small. It rose only a foot off the ground and was not too much wider than it was tall. The gray stone still shone silver, showing its youth. Killua couldn't help but fear the day the stone would be tarnished with weathering cracks.

Killua hovered over the grave like a ghost. He couldn't help but notice that the sun had disappeared behind the clouds, casting the earth in a dull gray hue. Like a bad omen. Good thing he didn't believe in omens.

"Hey, Gon." Killua said finally after many prolonged moments of silence. His voice was dry and cracked. No response met his words. Not even the chirp of a bird or whistle of the wind. Utter silence. To be honest he felt slightly insane, talking to a rock. It didn't feel like he was speaking to his best friend at all. But still. On the off chance that Gon could hear him wherever he was… He had to say something. Killua's voice felt weak. It wavered with unkempt emotion. "It's been a while."

Killua ran his fingers through his hair, having no clue in hell what he was supposed to say next. Over the past couple days he had felt such a powerful, inexplicable _need_ to visit the grave of his best friend. So much in his life was fuzzy and unclear, but the path that led him to his point in space was lit up in blinding lights. The fact that Hazel needed to come with him felt equally clear.

For a moment he wished that Hazel had accompanied him here as well. She always did have a knack of breaking the tension with that unwavering smile of hers. But it was best that she wasn't. He knew he needed to come here alone. To talk to his friend. One on one. Or rather- one on tombstone.

And so Killua just stood there, looming over the grave, casting his shadow over the rock, unsure of what to do next. He read the inscription on the tombstone for what seemed like the millionth time.

 _Gon Freecs_

 _A Hunter, A Fighter, A Friend_

Those three words summed Gon up pretty well. Memories of his best friend flooded through his mind. Emotion welled up inside of him. For the first time in a long time he felt close to tears. And suddenly the words came to him.

"There were a lot of things I should have told you while you were alive. But I never did. So I will now." His voice was soft. Quiet. He closed his eyes slowly and then reopened them with equal care.

"Do you remember the Chimera Ant War? I do. Like it was yesterday. You almost died. It was probably the second most terrifying moment of my life, seeing you use up all that nen- all that potential. You were so angry. So driven. So desperate to get Kite back. And so devastated when you realized that wasn't going to be possible. All I wanted… all I wanted was to help you. Like I'd done for years at that point. But you never asked for my help. Not once.

"You never needed me as much as I needed you. And I hated that."

Killua paused for a moment. His chest felt strangely light after letting out something that he had held in for so long. It wasn't like him to monologue, but if there was ever a time to try it out, it was now.

"I know this next one isn't my fault- I couldn't have told you while I was alive because I didn't know. But I need to tell you now. You have a sister, Gon. A _twin_ sister. Pretty unbelievable, I know. Her name is Hannah Hazel. You would have loved her. She's a lot like you. Bright. Happy. Funny. Optimistic. But she doesn't have your confidence or your strength. And her head is far closer to earth than yours ever was. She's so strong and so weak all at the same time. But she has your spirit, Gon. I know that for certain.

"She… She's the reason I'm here today. If it wasn't for her I'd either be waist deep in blood or dead. Or worse. But she pulled me out of all that. Somehow. Sort of like you did. She made she smile. Made me laugh. Made me happy. After you died I never thought I'd feel like that again.

"But that doesn't mean I don't miss you, Gon. Because I do. I miss you like hell every damn day. And saying all this shit to a rock isn't good enough."

Killua shook his head, clenching his fists in frustration. His hands were closed so tightly that his nails pierced the skin of his palms, drawing a trickle of crimson blood, staining his hands red.

"I regret so many things. I regret not coming to your funeral. I regret not being able to save you. I regret not forcing you to leave that fight. But the thing I regret most- the one thing that I kick myself every day for- is always being too stubborn to admit that you were my best friend. You knew it. I knew it. But I never said it to you straight. So I will now.

"You're my best friend, Gon. And you always will be. Nothing, and I mean _nothing,_ will ever change that."

Killua swallowed. His throat was cracked and dry. There was no use trying to fight it anymore. He blinked once, allowing a tear to drip down his cheek, leaving a salty trail behind it. Gon and he never got a real goodbye. Not really. A friendship like theirs warranted much more than what they got. Killua braced himself for the last words he would ever say to his best friend.

"The last thing you ever said to me was, 'I'm sorry'. And I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for everything. But I'm not going to sulk and complain about it anymore. I'm going to try and be like you- do what you would do if our roles were reversed. I'm going to move on and live my life the best I know how. I still have a whole list of problems, but if I go out, I'll go out fighting. And then… maybe we won't have to be sorry anymore."

 _Clap. Clap. Clap._

A startled jolt rattled up Killua's spine as he heard the three slow claps ring out behind him. His tears evaporated from his skin and his body tensed for conflict. His blood pumped with adrenaline and shock. The claps were followed by a voice.

"How beautiful. You nearly brought me to tears."

Killua recognized that voice. That deep, teasing, sarcastic voice. He turned around slowly to look at the man who managed to sneak up behind him. He had scratchy stumble around his chin, familiar brown eyes, tanned skin, and a turban wrapped around the top of his head.

It was Ging.

It was like a dam broke inside of Killua. Rage surged up around him like wildfire.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Killua demanded, eyes narrowed and bulging, seething with an anger that he didn't know he had left inside of him. How long had Ging been watching him? How long had he been standing there, listening to him mourn his son? How dare he come here? How dare he stand there with that vacant expression on his face like nothing was wrong?

Ging seemed unperturbed by Killua's hostile greeting.

"This is the grave of my only son." Ging responded airily. "I do think I have good reason to be here."

"Don't act like you care." Killua hissed back at the man. "Don't act like Gon meant a damn thing to you!"

"Easy there, killer." He replied, mocking fear on his poker face as he rose his hands up in a defensive position. "What makes you think I don't care?"

"Where do I start? You abandoned him as a child. His quest to find you nearly killed us both many times over. You hid the truth about his family- about his _sister_ in a damn book. You have more secrets that you know what to do with. And one of those secrets sent Gon running to his grave! And when he did die- with your name on his lips- you didn't come to his fucking funeral."

Ging tilted his head.

"Looks who's talking."

"YOU'RE HIS FATHER!" Killua bellowed at him. Unable to maintain any level of restraint, Killua charged up to Ging and clenched his bloodied hand around Ging's neck. With a single arm, he lifted the man off of the ground and thrust his body against a tree, holding him there with an iron grip. Ging's dangling toes barely reached the ground. The man made no attempt to escape.

For the first time, Ging adopted a more serious expression. His mouth twisted into a small frown as he looked Killua directly in the eyes. Although his blood was singing with satisfaction upon securing Ging's delicate throat beneath his claws, Killua was still consumed by his wrath. He stared down Ging with a look so sinister that only his greatest enemies ever got the honor of receiving it. Killua's voice was deathly low.

"But I suppose you never _have_ acted like a father to him, have you? All you do is play games. You send your kid on a wild goose chase trying to find you. You write books containing your family secrets instead of telling your family yourself. You are never there when you're needed most. Gon was trying to find you when he died. That is why he was so adamant and walked right into his death. We heard a nasty secret about you. Gon didn't believe it, of course. He wanted to find you to learn the truth. I couldn't stop him. But I wish that I had. Because looking at you right now, I have a feeling that little secret is true."

Surprise flickered across Ging's face throughout the younger hunter's rant. He managed to wheeze out a response through his crushed windpipe. "To which secret are you referring?"

"You killed Gon's Aunt. Not Mito. But the sister of Gon's biological mother."

Upon hearing this, Ging merely raised an eyebrow and coughed. With a free hand, he gestured for Killua to release him. With a frustrated growl, Killua threw the man on the ground. He coughed furiously as he rolled in the dust. When his fit was settled, he calmly rose back to his feet. No reciprocal anger or animosity surrounded him as he straightened his turban.

"And where did you hear this particular piece of information?" Ging said. His voice was casual. As if they were talking about the weather.

"Gon's mother. Kaiya." Killua said. He never took his eyes off the rat.

Ging looked at him curiously for a moment and then laughed. He actually had the nerve to laugh. "Honestly, Killua, I always took you as the more realistic one- never thought you'd be so naïve-"

Killua glared at him. Ging rolled his eyes.

"Calm down. That woman you spoke to is crazier than a bat out of hell. Believe what you want, but murder isn't my style. I leave that particular pastime to the Zoldyck's."

Killua growled, not appreciating the attempt at humor. "Why are you here?"

"And it appears that you found my book." As Ging talked, he began to walk in a circle around Killua, placing both hands at the nape of his neck, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world. "I'm so happy that my work did not go to waste, although I never imagined that you would be the one to find it. Although judging from the fact that you're here with my daughter, I'd say you're quite happy that you stumbled across it."

"You're going to stay away from her." Killua said, no trace of humor on his face. He continued to stare straight ahead, tracking the man's movements in his peripheral vision.

"What is it with you and caring deeply for my children?" Ging asked, feigning good humor.

"She doesn't know she's adopted. She'd better off never knowing that scum like you is her father."

"I haven't the faintest clue as to why you insist on writing me off as scum."

"I don't know why it is you are here. But I know it isn't to mourn your son."

"You're right. I'm not."

"You're a dick." Killua said.

"You didn't let me finish!" Ging replied instantly, feigning annoyance. He stopped his pacing next to Gon's grave. He gestured to it as if Killua should be seeing something that wasn't there. "You are correct. I'm not here to mourn my son. That would require him to actually be dead."

Suddenly the world stopped spinning. The wind stopped blowing. His heart stopped beating. Everything froze. No reaction broke onto Killua's face. Even if he were capable of a reaction, he didn't know what it would be. He looked at Ging carefully and spoke slowly.

"What did you just say?"

"I think you heard me fine." The man replied with a devilish smirk.

Slowly, Killua's mind started working again. But he couldn't afford to let his heart beat once more. The last thing he needed right now was hope…

"You think Gon is still alive." Killua stated bluntly. His only option right now was denial. He had to remain skeptical. Ging was a lying bastard. A trickster. He couldn't trust a word that came out of his mouth.

"Yes." Ging responded. For once, it appeared as though the man wasn't joking.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint." Killua's response was cruel and harsh. "But he's dead. I carried his lifeless body back here to Whale Island myself."

"And you buried him in the ground with your own two hands?"

Killua paused. "No."

"I'm a hunter. Like yourself, actually. And part of our creed is to not believe anything we don't see with our own eyes. I don't believe Gon is dead."

"You're in denial." Killua said, narrowing his eyes. Perhaps he had misjudged the man's intentions. But either way, Killua was sick of this conversation. "Maybe you do have a heart after all. But either way. You're just wasting my time."

Indignantly, Killua shoved his hands into his pockets and turned to walk away from the father and the grave of the son. Ging smiled.

"Careful, Killua. You don't want to do anything you'll regret."

Killua froze. He locked eyes with Ging for a moment. There was something flickering behind those deceptive brown eyes. Some bit of truth that hadn't been there before. Or was it belief?

"What do you know?" Killua demanded.

"Not a thing. It's more of a feeling." Ging replied, returning to his flippant, insouciant manner. "But I don't expect you to believe me off of that alone. You're a hunter too. You need to see it with your own eyes."

Killua didn't know when Ging got it, but suddenly the man was holding something. It was a shovel. He offered it to Killua.

The former assassin made no move to grab it. A heat of anger flared over him once more.

"You've got to be joking." He said. His voice was threatening.

"For once, I'm not." Ging replied, steely calm. He offered the shovel to Killua once more. Killua bristled in anger.

"If you think I'm about to dig up the grave of my best friend-"

"I'm not forcing you to do anything." Ging replied. "It's your choice. You can walk away now and pretend that we never met here today. But of course, if you do that, you'll never stop wondering. You'll never stop thinking about what would have happened had you looked for the truth yourself."

Killua scowled. He snatched the shovel and started digging. He dug with incredible speed, flinging up piles and piles of dark brown dirt, putting all of his anger and frustration into the physical act of digging. He hated Ging. He hated Ging more than anything else in the world. He was a manipulator, a murderer and liar. But that left one very important question. Why was Killua digging? He didn't know why exactly. He only knew that he couldn't live with any uncertainty. Not when it came to Gon. If there was any chance… He had to confirm what he knew. Gon was dead. He saw him die. He just needed to confirm it for himself once more. No matter how dirty it made him. He continued to dig until his shovel hit something solid. A loud clang of metal rattled through the clearing. The casket. The once shiny onyx coffin was now a dull black from months underground. Killua finished clearing all the dirt away and a few moments later the casket was fully uncovered.

He suddenly felt nauseous. Sick to his stomach. To his core. The lurching feeling inside him made the earth seem as though it had tilted sideways. Killua took a deep breath, steadying himself for whatever he was about to see. After one final glance up at Ging, Killua did it. He pulled the lid off of the casket and gasped at what he saw.

The coffin was empty.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Well, that is about the biggest cliff hanger I think I can throw at you! Haha, can't wait to see what your reactions/ predictions/ questions are in the review section! I had a blast writing this chapter- it might be my favorite so far, although the next one is pretty good too tbh. So you'll just have to stay tuned!**

 **Oh, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN! (It's Halloween when I'm posting this anyway!)**

 **As always, thank you for your support! It means the world to me :)**

 **Stay awesome,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter**


	18. Chapter 18: The Ultimate Hunt

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART TWO-  
**_

Chapter 18

The Ultimate Hunt

Entire days could have passed by in that single moment. Time lost its meaning. The seconds- or the minutes, or the hours- stretched by agelessly as the nineteen year old boy stared with blazing wide eyes at the sight below him.

The coffin was empty. _Gon's_ coffin was empty.

Killua did not blink. He did not move. There was no motion whatsoever. Even the wind stopped blowing.

The coffin was empty. _Gon's_ coffin was empty. He was not there. But he was supposed to be there. Where was he? Was it possible… no, it couldn't be possible…

The inside of the coffin was fluffy white and sparkly clean. Eerily so. Emotions bubbled up inside of Killua like white fire. The heat of shock. The burn of confusion. The intensity of fear.

A shadow loomed over his face. Still down in the grave he had dug out himself, Killua knew the shadow belonged to Ging, observing him from above, seeing the empty coffin for himself. Killua forced himself to take in a breath of air. The oxygen stung his throat as it half-hazardly filled his shrunken lungs. He looked up at Ging. The man's figure was blackened into a silhouette from the brightness of the dull sky behind him.

For the second time that day, there were tears in Killua's eyes. He didn't know how they got there or what they were doing, he only knew he couldn't stop the salty droplets from burning his skin as they rolled down his cheeks.

"What the hell is going on?" Killua asked. His voice was cracked and raspy. Far too weak.

Ging's face broke into a wide, brilliant smile. Just like his son's. "I knew it." He said. "He is alive."

Killua gritted his teeth and pressed his eyes closed hard. He ran both hands through his hair with stiff, angry fingers. He brushed the bangs off of his forehead and sent his white locks into a state of disarray. Much like what he was feeling inside. This was all a dream. It had to just be a dream.

But the thing was, he would never dare dream _this._

And then the anger came back. This wasn't fair. None of this was fair. He would love more than anything to believe Ging's words and celebrate the resurrection of his best friend. But none of this made anything sense. None of it. Killua's heart was a caged lion, fighting and dying to burst out in joy. To cry out in glee. To hope once more. But he couldn't. He couldn't allow himself to. He couldn't allow himself hope. He could not- would not- go through that pain again. Gon was dead. That he was sure of. People can't just come back to life.

"Don't say that." Killua said, voice a growl. His fists were clenched. "Don't say that. I saw him die. I _saw_ his neck get snapped."

"Then why is his coffin empty?" Ging challenged. The smile on his face wasn't relenting. His chest was still boastfully puffed out in happiness.

Killua ran another had through his hair. A feeling of defeat cast over him like a cloud.

"I- I don't know. I don't fucking know."

Ging sighed and shook his head. He gestured from Killua to come towards him. "Get up here, kid."

Killua obliged, more than willing to get out of that damn hole… With a single leap, he was out of the grave and standing next to Ging. Physically he was taller, but at the moment, Ging felt so much bigger. Killua kept his eyes cast towards the ground.

Ging's grin condensed into a stern twitch of his lip. He placed a sturdy hand on Killua's shoulder.

"Look, kid. You weren't the only one who was upset when Gon died. Believe it or not, I was pretty upset myself. But I had a hunch. Gon is my son. I never thought he would go out so easy. I never really thought he was dead."

Killua shook his head once more. "I had his body. I had his goddamn lifeless body."

"I told you." Ging said. "I don't believe anything I don't see with my own eyes."

It felt like someone was speaking for Killua when he opened a wry mouth to reply. Like an out of body experience. "Don't tell me that's why you didn't come to his funeral."

"Guilty."

"So that's what you've been doing for all this time? Searching for Gon?"

"It's the ultimate hunt." Ging said with a glint in his eye. The two hunters shared an understanding in that moment. It was so much more than just a hunt. Ging removed his hand from Killua's shoulder. "You always meant more to him than I ever did. I may have been his father but you were his best friend. His real family."

Killua didn't acknowledge that statement. His eyes had dried and he really wasn't in the mood for more tears.

"You still haven't told me why you are here now. Why you were so sure that Gon wasn't going to be down there when you had me dig up his grave? You wouldn't have been so confident if it was just a hunch."

Ging rolled his eyes, as if he had been hoping to avoid this part of the conversation.

"I haven't _just_ been hunting for Gon." Ging surprised Killua by replying so easily. "I've been searching for the truth. More specifically, I've been looking for more information on the man who killed- or almost killed- him: the Man in the Metal Mask."

Killua prickled with anger and resentment at the mention of the murderer.

"Any luck?"

Ging let out a shot of laughter. "None, whatsoever. I do, however, have skill. And that led me to discover something extremely interesting. I knew then that it was time once and for all to return to Whale Island and confirm my suspicion that Gon still lives."

"And what might that be?" Killua asked through gritted teeth, despising the man's nonchalant nature in such a time of crisis. Even more infuriatingly, Ging tilted his head in heavy contemplation.

"Hmm, I'm not sure if I want to tell you."

Killua was already sick of this bastard. He narrowed his eyes. "Then you better make up your mind fast. And be careful with your answer. Because if you say something I don't like then you might find yourself missing a heart. Assuming you have one in the first place, that is."

Ging smirked, pleased. "Very well. I'll let you in on what's going on. I could use a partner on my hunt, I suppose."

"Why do I get the feeling you know a lot less than you want me to believe?"

"Practice." Was Ging's single worded reply. Killua sighed.

"Before we get started, let's get one thing straight." He said, starting to feel more like himself. The earth had steadied beneath him and it was becoming easier to breath once more. A sick, lurching feeling still struck his chest, but it wasn't so suffocating. He had control over his emotions. "I don't believe that Gon is alive. Not yet. All I know is that he isn't where he is supposed to be and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure he's back where he belongs. Wherever that may be. Dead or alive, I'll help you find Gon. But working together means that you can't play any more games. No more tricks. No more lies. You tell me everything. For the sake of your son."

"Deal." Ging said instantly. He offered out a hand for shaking. Killua looked at it for a moment and then shook his head.

"No. Not until you tell me everything you know."

"Very well. Let's have a seat. It's about time we had a chat."

XXX

Hannah's tea had gone cold. There was still a small pool left in the bottom of the sparkling white china tea cup, but it was undrinkable now. Anxiously, she allowed her eyes to drift towards the window of the Whale Island house. Killua had been gone for a while now. She wondered when he was going to return. She wasn't worried about him yet, but still, his prolonged absence was troublesome- a persistent needle in her heart.

When she returned her gaze from the overcast realm outside the cottage, she found an expectant Mrs. Mito staring at her. It wasn't until then that Hannah remembered she was in the middle of a conversation.

"I'm sorry." Hannah apologized. "Do you mind saying that again?"

Mito laughed softly in good nature.

"Don't worry about Killua. He is a strong young man. He'll be fine."

Going slightly pink, Hannah smiled to convince both herself and Mrs. Mito that she wasn't too concerned. "I know. He can take care of himself. It's just… whenever Gon is involved…"

"I understand." Mito said. "I'll never forget the day Gon returned home after he left to take the Hunter Exam. I was surprised to find that he didn't come back alone. He had a friend with him."

"Killua."

"Of course. They were as close as you could get. Two peas in a pod. Despite the fact that they were so different."

"That's what I hear." Hannah replied. "I wish I could have seen them back then. Both of them."

It was strange. She was sitting in a house with so much history. Killua had walked through these rooms when he was just a kid. And he would have been accompanied by his best friend Gon. Since Mrs. Mito had shown her a picture of the bright-spirited youth, she could now picture Gon with his spiky black hair and round brown eyes. Hannah's own heart ached for the dead boy. What would things be like if he were alive? What would Killua be like? Of course, that would mean that Killua and she never would have met, but still… It was strange to wonder.

"They were an absolute joy." Mito said. "I raised Gon from the time he was a baby. It was the most wonderful thing you could imagine, watching him grow up. Watching him leave home to take the Hunter Exam was difficult, but for the best. He didn't belong on this island forever. But I always loved it when he came home to visit. I loved it even more when he brought Killua back with him."

Hannah smiled. This women exuded so much warmth and love, it made Hannah crave the presence of her own mother. She looked at Mrs. Mito earnestly.

"I just wanted to say how much I admire you for taking in your nephew and treating him like a son. That was so brave and kind of you."

"I must admit, I was quite shocked when Ging showed up on Whale Island with a baby in his arms, but now I'm so glad that he did. I wouldn't change it for the world."

"And was Gon okay with it? Growing up without a father, I mean?"

"One thing you have to understand is that Gon has always been very independent. In a lot of ways, he didn't need a father. His quest to find Ging was more of a personal challenge than a deep seeded need to meet his father. Because he didn't. And likewise, Ging never needed to have a close relationship with his son. They may not have spent too much time together, but they were the perfect pair."

Hannah sighed and shook her head. "I guess. But still, it doesn't make sense to me. If my dad abandoned me and didn't bother to speak to me for the first however many years of my life, I don't know if I'd even be able to forgive him, let alone like him."

"Not that many people actually like Ging." Mito admitted with a soft laugh. "But darling, if someone like Ging were your father, of course you'd forgive him. You are just too sweet of a person not too. And besides, family ties run deeper than blood. At the end of the day there is nothing more important than family."

Hannah smiled, thinking of her parents back home. She was beginning to feel strangely homesick. "I'm glad Killua has you in his life. Gon was as good as his brother and he considers you a mother."

Mito laughed. "He better. With the amount of dirty socks I washed over the years, he better consider me his mother. I swear that boy and Gon never did a load of laundry themselves. Every time they returned to the island they would dump their laundry on me! And don't even get me started on how much those boys could eat…"

Full of smiles and laughter, the two ladies talked the day away. Hannah found herself liking Mito more and more. She was starting to feel comfortable in the cozy house. She could feel so much history here. It was almost as if she could imagine a twelve year old Killua running around with his best friend. It was an odd but positively delightful image.

Inevitably, Hannah's mind drifted back to the nineteen year old Killua, her Killua. Even more time had passed since he left and she was genuinely beginning to worry. Perhaps she should go try to find him? Unless she was just being ridiculous and overprotective-

As if she had summoned him herself, Killua returned. The door of the house swung open abruptly and a somber Killua walked slowly into the living room. His hands were hanging stiff at his sides and an unreadable expression graced his face. His eyes were as stormy as the gray clouds outside.

"You're back!" Hannah cheered happily. Killua acknowledged her with a nod.

"Can I talk to you outside for a moment?" He asked her. His voice was somehow heavier than usual. It didn't seem right.

"Of course. Thanks for the tea, Mrs. Mito. It was lovely."

"My pleasure. Take your time, you two. It's about time that I go wake up my grandmother from her nap. I'm sure she'll want to say hello to Killua."

Killua was already walking back out the door, not waiting for Hannah to catch up. She scrambled after him, grabbing her coat before she hurried out into the cool autumn air.

"What's this all about?" Hannah asked. Killua was striding across the front lawn, leading her into a light patch of woods. Hannah had to jog to match his pace. Once they were out of sight from the house, he stopped and turned around to look at her.

"Hey." He said. His voice was soft and delicate. Hannah was feeling slightly confused.

"Hey." Hannah gave him a smile but he didn't return it. Alright, something was definitely wrong. Did seeing Gon's grave affect him more than he thought it would?

"What's wrong?" Hannah asked him. "You seem a little… off."

"Yeah." He agreed. He hid his hands in his pockets, shifting his gaze everywhere but at her. His expression was pained.

"What happened?" She asked, being extremely patient. He was starting to scare her.

"It's Gon." Killua admitted. She could tell the words were hard for him to get out. "I think… I think he might be alive."

Well. She had not been expecting that. After allowing her mouth to hang open in stupefaction for a while, Hannah collected herself with a breath.

"Killua." She said gently. She stepped close enough to him to where she could place both of her hands on either side of his face. "It's okay that you're upset. It only makes sense-"

"His coffin was empty." Killua's statement was blunt and didactic. "I dug up his grave and his coffin was empty. He's not there."

Hannah dropped her hands and allowed the second shot of shock to rattle through her body.

"What?"

Killua didn't answer her question, he just plowed on with what he needed to say. "I don't know for sure whether this means he is alive or not. But either way I have to find him. I have to find the truth."

Hannah was shaking her head with her hands pressed up against her cheeks. "H-how is this possible? I thought- I thought you saw him die?"

"I did." He said. His hair was already so messed up, but he ran another hand through it for good measure. "I did, Hazel. He was dead. I know that for certain. I don't know what the hell is going on right now. I just have to find out."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"With my help, of course." Hannah was startled by the sudden addition of a new voice to the conversation. Killua didn't seem surprised, however, to see a man walking towards him. He was a bit scruffy looking and had brown eyes that seemed vaguely familiar.

"Hazel, this is Ging. Gon's father." Killua introduced the man almost reluctantly.

"Yo." Ging said with a casual flick of his fingers.

"Oh." Hannah said. The single syllable escaped from the tiny "O" she formed with her lips. Her brain rattled for something else to say, but it failed to come up with anything semi-intelligent. This was all way too much new information for one day. "Hello there."

"Listen, hear me out." Killua turned his attention back to her. "After Gon died, Ging started looking into the man who killed him."

"The Man in the Metal Mask?"

"Exactly. He spent months trying to track him down. Eventually Ging succeeded about a month ago. They talked-"

Ging interrupted him. "It was more of a confrontation. Apparently that Masked Bastard isn't too fond of me. Said that he was going to take everything away from me. It was quite the verbal mistake, actually."

"Mistake?" Hannah asked slowly.

Killua frowned at Ging for his flippancy, but answered Hannah seriously. "They had that conversation one month ago. The Masked Man said that he was _going_ to take everything away from Ging. Meaning that he hadn't yet."

"And that's what made you think Gon was still… alive?" Hannah asked. Ging smirked and nodded.

"I met ran into Ging while I was visiting Gon's grave. He convinced me to dig it up. Gon wasn't there." Killua said.

"I see." Hannah said, despite the fact that she really didn't see at all. Was coming back from the dead something common in the world of hunters? She shook the question out of her head and tried to clear her train of thought. She looked at Ging.

"Did you learn anything else from your encounter with the Man in the Metal Mask?"

"Not a thing." Ging replied swiftly. "Except for the fact that he gets very angry very easily. Not a very pleasant fellow. He was particularly… irascible from the fact that his plans to kill you aren't going so smoothly."

Hannah gulped. "And why does he want to kill me again?"

"I'll fill you in on that later." Killua promised. Hannah almost believed him. But her brain hadn't decomposed _that_ much.

"Wait." Hannah said, looking from Killua to Ging and then back to Killua. She was just starting to put some things together. "You told me that the Masked Man wanted to kill me to fulfill a vendetta. Since the Masked Man hates Ging, is Ging the one he wants revenge on?"

The two hunters shared a look. Hannah didn't like that look.

"Yes." Killua said stiffly.

"Which explains why he killed Gon." Hannah said thoughtfully. "But why me? I've never even met Ging before now."

"Not the time for detective work, sweet heart." Ging said with a wink. "Your boyfriend will fill you in later, I'm sure. The point is that I think that when the Man in the Metal Mask failed to kill Gon, dismantling his plans to seek revenge on me. In all honestly his evil scheme is quite poorly executed."

"All of this is making my head hurt." Hannah said wearily.

"We don't know yet for sure whether or not the Man in the Metal Mask succeeded in killing Gon. But he is our best shot at finding Gon." Killua nodded. "Perhaps he stole Gon's body. He's the only one that could have an incentive."

"You're going to go after the Masked Man?" Hannah said in alarm. "But you aren't strong enough to beat him. He'll kill you."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Killua said. "But ideally it'll be a covert mission. And besides, it's Gon. We have to try."

"And you really think that there's a chance he's alive?" Hannah asked. Killua looked at her closely for a moment before responding.

"I don't know." He said.

And suddenly Hannah couldn't hold herself back any longer. She threw her arms around Killua's neck and hugged him in tight, burying her face into the crook of his neck. He embraced her in return, wrapping his strong arms around her waist.

"I don't suppose there is any chance you'd let me come with you?" Hannah whispered to him.

"Not a chance in hell." Killua responded.

They broke apart when a loud yawn interrupted them. They looked to see a very bored Ging, patting his mouth.

"I'll let you lovebirds say a proper goodbye." He said. "Killua, I'll meet you at the boat docks in ten minutes."

"You're leaving that soon?!" Hannah said in alarm.

"We don't have enough time to waste." Killua told her.

She wanted to argue that point further, but Ging was already walking away. Hannah frowned in frustration, but she swallowed that feeling up inside her as she rose both her voice and a hand in farewell.

"Bye!" She called out to him, thinking it appropriate to maintain some sort of politeness. "It was nice meeting you."

Ging didn't turn back and merely held up a hand in goodbye. The next moment he had disappeared down the hillside and Hannah was left alone with Killua. She immediately curled back up in Killua's arms, nestling her face into his chest.

"He's an interesting character." She mumbled against his shirt.

"Tell me about it."

"I understand if you don't want to tell me now. About why the Man in the Metal Mask wants to kill me. You have a lot going on. Just… just promise that you will tell me sometime soon, okay?" She asked, nervous for his response. This was a lot easier when she wasn't looking him directly in the eyes.

Killua rested his chin on her head. It made Hannah feel very safe in that moment.

"Some things aren't my secrets to tell." He told her softly. "But maybe you should talk to your parents about their past and why they waited so long to have a daughter."

Hannah thought briefly about what he was saying, but in the end, decided she didn't want to think about it for too much longer. She was content to enjoy being in Killua's arms for as long as she could. Despite the circumstances, she couldn't help but marvel at how nice it felt. She was safe and comfortable. It just felt right. Her heart contracted in pain when she realized they might not be close like this again for a long while.

"How long do you think you'll be gone?" Hannah asked softly.

"I don't know. Regardless, I'll be back before our five months is up."

Oh great. She had completely forgot about that detail. The Zoldycks had given Killua five months to kill the Man in the Metal Mask or else they'd resume their mission to kill her. Man, their lives were complicated.

"Promise me you won't try to kill him." Hannah said. "Not for my sake anyway. It's too dangerous. We'll figure out something else when you get back."

Killua didn't say anything for a while, thinking over her request. Eventually and to her surprise, he relented. "Fine. I promise."

"And promise me you'll be safe." She added. Killua's chest vibrated a few times in soft laughter.

"I promise."

"And promise me that you'll think about me while you're gone."

"I promise." He said, fully laughing now. Hannah broke away from his chest to look up into his eyes. Killua continued to hold his arms around her. His eyes were sparkling with amused affection. "Anything else?"

"Yeah." Hannah said with a giggle. "Promise me you won't run off with any other girls while you're gone."

Killua laughed some more before growing serious. He brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "What other girls?"

"Just promise, you doofus."

"I promise."

"And just one more thing." Hannah said. Her voice was so soft she could barely hear the words herself. "Promise me that you'll come back."

Killua looked at her, seeing the water that was pooling up beneath her eyes. He slowly moved his hands from their spot on her waist, moving up her sides and then to her face with slow and gentle care. Once Killua's hands traveled up to either side of her face, he used his thumbs to wipe away her tears.

And then he kissed her. It was happening before Hannah knew it was happening. His lips, soft and warm, were on hers, moving slowly and carefully. She kissed him back with everything she had, losing herself in the heat of the moment. She dug her hands into the white sheets of his hair and pulled him closer to her, deepening the kiss.

It was perfect. Magical. Everything she hoped that it would be. Suddenly she was happy that he didn't kiss her back on that first date of theirs. Because it meant so much more now. There was so much more between them that they shared. She knew who he was. And he knew who she was. And despite all the danger, all of the complications, all of the fear, they still stood here today. Together.

The moment ended far too soon. Killua was the one to pull away, but he lingered close to her afterwards, his lips still tantalizingly close.

"Bye Hazel." He said softly. His breath warm against her lips. "Be safe."

And then he was gone, leaving her in a dream-like trance as she watched him go.

Her heart was twisted up in knots. She was feeling so much at once that it hurt. She only knew two things for certain. The first was that she missed him already. The second was that he never promised that he would return.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Sup, my people. How's it going? Good? I'm glad to hear it- I'm doing good as well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know a lot of you have probably been waiting for that moment between Killua and Hannah for a while (: In other news, I've decided to split chapter 19 into two parts. It was just getting too long for one upload. Just wanted to let you know! As usual, thank you, thank you, thank you, for all of your reviews, favorites and followers. I cherish every single one of them. If you have any specific questions, type it out in a review or shoot me a PM, I would be more than happy to answer.  
**

 **Until next time,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter. At least not until I achieve my ultimate goal of world domination. Then I will own everything. Mwahaha.**


	19. Chapter 19: The Power of Blood

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART TWO-  
**_

Chapter 19

The Power of Blood

Zeno Zoldyck was having his afternoon tea. Today's flavor was a steaming cup of Earl Gray; the fumes drifting up from the dark liquid towards his face. The heat flickered across the wrinkles of his face.

He took a sip, small and careful.

Simultaneously he cast out his En to encompass the entire Zoldyck Mansion. He sensed a person entering the mansion, a person he had not seen in quite some time. Ever so patiently, Zeno took another sip of his tea as he waited in the courtyard.

The courtyard was hidden somewhere in the middle of the mansion. It was surrounded at all for sides by tall, looming walls of dark gray stone. No trees stood in the clearing, however spots of rose bushes popped up randomly throughout the grassy space. Zeno sat in the center of the courtyard at a rod iron table and matching chair.

It took five minutes and thirty four seconds for the visitor to find Zeno. It undoubtedly would have been longer had the person not been led by Silva, Zeno's son and heir. Silva knew that his father enjoyed a cup of tea at this time of day.

"Father," Silva said as he entered the courtyard through the only steel door that offered access to it. "We have a guest."

"Then we cannot afford to be rude." Zeno replied easily, refilling his cup with the tea pot that resting on the table.

Silva swung the door open wider and stepped aside, allowing the Man in the Metal Mask to follow him into the courtyard.

"Ah." Zeno said upon seeing the broad, cloaked and masked man. "I've wondered when we'd be receiving a visit from you."

"You wondered correctly." The Man replied. His figure was dark and imposing. The metal mask that shielded his face was grizzly and worn. The two narrow slits where his eyes should have been allowed no hint as to what was beneath him. Similarly, the hood of the sweeping black cloak he insisted on wearing was pulled over his head, leaving no ounce of skin to the revealing light of the sun.

The Man in the Metal Mask was a client. A client whose request had not been fulfilled. Yes, it was not surprising that he had come here today.

"Come sit. Have a cup of tea." Zeno offered, gesturing towards the open seat across the table from him. The Man obliged, taking the seat but refusing the tea. Silva did not sit. He stood at his father's side.

"I assume you know why I am here." The client said in that growlish, artificial voice of his.

"Naturally." Zeno replied.

"Then I waste no time with pleasantries. Why has your family failed to kill the girl? Have you failed to locate the book? Have you even identified her? Or am I to assume that something other than incompetence is a factor in the incompletion of our deal?"

"Hmm." Zeno hummed softly, raising his tea cup back to his lips. He didn't take another sip. "Might I inquire why you have come to me with these questions? I have long since relinquished my title as head of the Zoldyck family to my son, Silva. He is now in charge of such affairs."

The Man in the Metal mask considered this for a moment, choosing his words carefully. He eyed Silva through the narrow slits of his mask before returning his attention to Zeno. "I'm aware. However, you, Zeno, are the one that I trusted to do business with. Due to our… previous relations."

Zeno raised a furry eyebrow. "I assumed as much."

"So?" The masked man asked stiffly. "Do you have an answer for me?"

"Not one that would please you."

The gloved hand of the client tightened into a fist. "Does this mean that you're backing out on our deal?"

"Not at all." Zeno replied. "Zoldyck's never break our agreements."

"Then why is the girl not dead?" The Man's voice was growing louder. Zeno detected a fair amount of anger. Good. The grandfather did not respond. He raised his cup to his lips once more without taking a sip. The Masked Man did not enjoy being ignored. "Answer me, Zeno."

"Why would I do that?" He replied, setting down the china. "As I've said before, I have no answer that would please you."

The Man in the Metal Mask raised his fist and the pounded it angrily against the iron table, shaking the china on the table. Black tea nearly spilled out of the cup. Nearly.

"I'm not the amateur in Nen I once was, Zeno!" The Man thundered. "It would be unwise to treat me as such."

"It is also unwise to overestimate your abilities." Zeno said calmly. "I taught you that."

"That and more." The Man said, punctuating each syllable. Then he sprang into action.

He pulled a silver knife out of his cloak, and the sliced the skin of his right palm open through the fabric of his glove. Zeno watched as he did so calmly, seeing everything unfold in slow motion. He saw the dark liquid on the Man's left hand. He knew instantly that it must be Silva's blood. He must have covertly snagged some from the Zoldyck head on their walk here in preparation for this moment.

The Man in the Metal Mask slammed his hands together. In that same moment, Silva froze into a stiff board. His muscular arms were plastered to his side and his eyes were forced open wide without blinking. He could not move.

Zeno raised his cup of tea to his lips yet again, this time taking a cautious sip. Blood Manipulation.

Zeno recognized this technique immediately. After all, _he_ was the one who taught it to the Masked Man in the first place.

"You will tell me everything you know about Ging's daughter." The Man in the Metal Mask said slowly, his voice deathly calm. A pure threat. "You found the book. I know you were able to. Or at least that grandson of yours was able to. I would happily oblige to killing her myself, but I need her identity to do so. Tell me what you know, or I will stop your son's heart from beating. You know that I am fully capable of doing so."

"Yes." Zeno replied. "I do know what you are capable of. Every little detail. Because I taught you. I _trained_ you. I helped you invent this particular Hatsu.

"Blood Manipulation. A truly miraculous technique. A form of manipulation Hatsu, it allows the user to use his or her Nen to control the enemy's blood, forcing them to adhere to the user's every command. All that is required is the combined blood of the manipulator and the person he wishes to manipulate."

"Which also means." The Masked Man continued. "That I can force all of your son's blood to rush into his heart, causing it to burst. Or I could just stop his flow of blood all together, killing him silently. Of course, that wouldn't be nearly as spectacular."

"I am going to ask you one final question." Zeno said. He stood up from his chair to stare at the client directly. He was unafraid and deathly cool. "Do _you_ think that I would have taught you a technique potentially lethal to my family without knowing a way to counter it?"

Now it was the Man's turn to freeze. He could only watch in surprise and wonder as Zeno pulled back the sleeve of his shirt, revealing a small tattoo on his forearm of a dragon. Zeno bit his finger, drawing a trickle of blood and pressed his thumb against the tattoo. Instantly, Silva jumped back to life and was in control of his own body again.

"Now," Zeno said. "Do you still wish to make threats against my family?"

The Man didn't move for several moments. He then knelt down onto one knee and bowed his head.

"Forgive me, master." The Man said in remorse.

"Blood Manipulation. It is a powerful form of Nen. However, the stronger the technique, the stronger the flaws." Zeno lectured with condensation rich in his voice. "You more than anyone should know that your Hatsu has some… extreme… limitations."

The Man looked up at his former teacher. "What do you know that I do not? Do you know why I cannot-"

"You still have much to learn. Particularly the art of patience." Zeno cut the client off before he could finish his question. Zeno wasn't prepared to give up his leverage. "Wait for another five months. The Zoldyck family has delayed fulfilling our agreement until a later date. In the meantime, you might want to learn more about the power you hold so dear."

"Five months?" The Man asked. Again, he received no response. Zeno sat back down at the table and refilled his cup of tea.

"Silva, escort our guest out." The grandfather said.

"Yes, father."

And that was that. The Man in the Metal Mask left, following behind a very irritated Silva. Zeno did not care to assuage his son's pride however. Much more pressing was his cup of tea. He took yet another sip, enjoying the liquid warmth as it slid down his throat.

He was becoming too old to deal with such matters.

XXX

A dying campfire flickered in the center of a forest clearing, struggling to cast its amber glow upon the three men sitting around it.

The first of the three was Killua Zoldyck. Shadows prominent on the cool planes of his face, he clutched a pen in his hand as he scribbled neatly onto a small piece of paper, forming slanted elegant loops into a short letter. He rolled it up into a scroll and stuffed it into the pocket of his jet black jacket. If it weren't for the brightness of his silvery hair, he might have faded into the darkness entirely. He was cold and dark in a way that the campfire could not warm…

The second of the three men was Leorio Paladiknight. Gangly and scruffy around the chin, the doctor lounged back against the trunk of a tree with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. Like always, he wore a suit. Despite having camped in the outdoors in a forest for the past several nights, he still insisted on wearing the suit, claiming that he just wouldn't feel the same without it. The lids of his eyes began to drift downwards with weariness. It had been a long day…

The third man sitting around the campfire was Kurapika of the Kurta clan. His brown eyes, appearing closer to black in the darkness of night, were focused squarely on the dying embers of the fire. He stared at the coals, still burning red with sheer heat. He remembered all the times in his life where his eyes had turned the same shade of red. When he was younger, he used to let his anger consume him constantly. That wasn't as true for him recently since he accomplished his vendetta a couple years ago. The last time his eyes burned red was when he learned of Gon's death. To hear from Killua that perhaps his anger was for naught…

Killua stood up.

"Ging should be back by now." He said, placing his hands in his pockets.

"Who cares?" Leorio yawned. "That bastard led us to the bigger bastard's hideout, so he can die for all I care."

"We still need him." Kurapika reminded his friend and partner disinterestedly. He then acknowledged Killua. "Be careful. Don't draw attention to yourself."

The former assassin huffed in annoyance and turned to walk away from the campfire. "Don't let down you're guard."

Leorio smiled. "Good to know you still care, buddy."

Once Killua had drifted into the forest deep enough to be out of the earshot, he let out a low whistle. Moments later a jet black raven , only visible by the bright yellow of its eyes, descended from the sky and landed on a low hanging branch. Killua pulled the rolled up letter out of his pocket and attached it to the raven's leg before allowing the bird to rise back up into the blackness of night.

It had been over two months since he departed Whale Island with Ging on their mutual mission to find Gon. Along the way, they had picked up Kurapika and Leorio for back up. Killua didn't know if any of this would come down to a fight, but if it did, those two would be useful. And besides, they were Gon's friends too. They deserved to know that there was a chance he was still alive.

The four hunters had spent their time searching relentlessly for the Man in the Metal Mask's hideout. They had attempted to track the Man's movements, gather as much information about him as they could, and cross reference his previous spheres of activity to pin point his most likely location. It was an agonizingly slow process, but ultimately fruitful.

Eventually, they found his new place out of a stroke of luck. Or at least Ging would have them believe it was merely a stroke of luck. After searching the nearby town of Rowen Cap, Ging heard a rumor of a mysterious mansion in the forest surrounding the town. They investigated the mansion immediately. It belonged to the Man in the Metal Mask.

That was four days ago. The group of four had spent those four days canvasing the area, observing the mansion, mapping out the inside, and formulating a rescue plan.

But all their preparations were now complete. Ging was off to do one final sweep of the mansion to ensure that the Man in the Metal Mask was not home, and their mission to search the place for Gon would begin at dawn.

But Ging had not yet returned to the makeshift camp they had built a few miles away from the mansion. And so, Killua was off to look for him.

Using his instincts to guide him, Killua came across Ging without much trouble.

He was not alone either. Ging was standing with his arms crossed in front of another man who was currently tied to a tree. The scrawny bloke wore a black tux and was bound to the trunk of a thick tree with thick cords of rope.

"I see you found a new friend." Killua commented, catching the attention of both men.

Ging shrugged. "Acquaintance I suppose."

The man tied to the tree opened his mouth in glee, hopeful that the newcomer would be his rescuer. "Please! Help! You must help me! This man kidnapped me from-"

"Shut up." Killua said. While his voice was impassive his eyes held enough venom that the captive fell silently immediately. Killua raised an eyebrow at Ging. "A butler from the mansion I assume?"

"Mr. Bentley to be precise."

"We were supposed to keep a low profile until tomorrow morning. We don't want anyone knowing we're here." Killua reminded him. He wasn't scolding, but he wasn't pleased either.

"No one will miss this guy." Ging rolled his eyes. "And besides, what better way to confirm that our masked friend isn't home that to ask one of his butlers?"

"And?" Killua prompted.

Ging ruffled the back of his hair. "The problem is that I didn't pick a very talkative guy."

Killua rolled his eyes. "I doubt any of them are talkative. Moreover I doubt any of them would tell you willingly if they were."

"Whoops. My bad." Said Ging. Killua cast a harsh gaze at the father of his best friend. Nothing Ging did was accidental.

"I'm guessing you want me to do it." Killua said finally, looking away from Ging to examine the butler tied to the tree. His eyes were sparkling with tears and his muscles were frail. Even his pale complexion made him look like an eggshell all too easy to crack.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ging said, feigning innocence.

Biting back a frustrated growl, Killua returned his attention to the butler crumpled up against the tree trump in front of him. Focusing his aura into the tip of his finger, Killua created a surge of electricity. It was bright blue and searing hot.

Although Ging's face didn't make any noticeable changes, he still managed to express an interested curiosity towards his son's best friend.

"Torture? Really?"

Killua looked away from his victim for a tense moment in order to glare at the other man. "Did you expect anything different?"

Ging merely shrugged, wearing a trace of a smile on his stagnant face. "I thought being in love with my daughter might have changed you."

Killua looked away in distaste. "You don't deserve to call yourself her father."

"Fair enough."

Killua approached the butler and knelt down in front of him. The butler's eyes widened in horror at the sight of the crackling electricity. Killua moved his crackling fingertips slowly and methodically towards the butler's chest. Looking the trembling man square in the eyes, he spoke calmly and clearly.

"Tell the truth. Where is the Man in the Metal Mask?"

The butler gulped. His meaty face with doused in sweat and his heart was pounding through his chest. Sheer terror consumed his eyes. His voice was weak, uncommitted.

"I- I cannot tell you. I'd rather die."

"I don't doubt it." A shadow fell over the pale skinned hunter. "But the problem is… I'm not planning on killing you."

The horror was visible on the butler's face as the last drop of blood drained from his face.

"P-please! Don't…"

"Last chance." Killua inched his lightning-ignited fingers closer. The electricity began to char the butler's waistcoat. The Butler winced in fear, but he didn't speak. Yet.

Killua scowled and finished the movement, jamming his fingers into the man's chest, burning through his clothes and searing his skin. The Butler let out a hideous yell, hacking through the night like a dull knife. After a few seconds, Killua removed his hand. Gasping for air, the Butler put a hand to his chest in pain. Tears were streaming down his face and his mouth was twisted into a haggered grimace.

'Where is the Man in the Metal Mask?" Killua repeated himself, every bit as cool and collected as before. Ging continued to stand with his arms crossed, looking on in interest.

"No… please, no…"

Killua didn't react or look discouraged. It was only a matter of time. The Butler would break. They all did.

As the former assassin continued to torture the Butler, his mind inevitable drifted to Hannah and how she would react if she knew what he was doing. It had been two months since he last saw her that day on Whale Island. That meant she would be home for the holidays. He pictured her curled up in a blanket, drinking hot chocolate and working on a drawing in her sketchbook. But of course that only made him feel even more despicable as he periodically electrocuted the Butler.

However, hating himself was a price he was willing to play. There was a good chance Gon was in that mansion. There was a decent chance Gon was in that mansion _alive._ There was a small chance he would spend Christmas with Gon and Hannah.

And that meant he couldn't afford to be sloppy. He couldn't afford to play by the rules like a good little recovering assassin. He had to be sure the mission went off without a hitch. He needed to know for certain if the Man in the Metal Mask was in his mansion or not.

And so, he continued to torture the Butler without a second thought.

"He's in Padokia." The Butler gasped before any more of his skin could be burnt to a crisp. His head was hung low, ashamed. "He's not in the mansion."

Killua examined him closely, determining the validity of the confession. He looked back to Ging, who nodded once to him in silence.

Everything was in place. It was time to rescue Gon.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Guess what?! This story has officially surpassed 100 reviews! That's way more than I ever expected to get on this story, so thank you very much!**

 **In the US, Thanksgiving is just around the corner and needless to say I have loads to be thankful for- my family, my friends, and YOU, my INCREDIBLE readers who support me through every chapter. You are simply the best.**

 **As for the story, this chapter contained a lot of set up, but I hope there were parts of it that you enjoyed. Next chapter (I'm calling it Chapter 19 and a 1/2 haha) will contain loads of good stuff. I'll have it up a week from today. After that we have the Part Two Finale which may or may not be Christmas themed.**

 **Whether or not its Thanksgiving for you this week, take a second to think about all the things your grateful for. Even during the rough times, it can really put life in perspective (: Oh, and if nothing else, you can be thankful for peanut butter. It's so versatile. Whether its a PB &J sandwhich, peanut butter toast, peanut butter cookies, or a peanut butter and banana smoothie, peanut butter can literally do ANYTHING. Thank you, peanut butter, for always coming to the rescue when I'm hungry. **

**Many thanks from your peanut-butter loving author,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter... but I do own a jar of peanut butter. Yep, that was definitely one peanut butter joke too far. My sincere apologies.**


	20. Chapter 19: The Winter Chill

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART TWO-  
**_

Chapter 19 and a 1/2

The Winter Chill

Hot chocolate was a tricky beverage. Hannah knew this to be true. She never seemed to be able to get through a mug without burning her mouth and then that little sore speck on the tip of her tongue would ruin the rest of her chocolatey treat without fail. And now, sure enough, the same phenomena was occurring.

"Ouch." The girl muttered as she set down her cup (a whimsical Christmas themed mug with a perfectly plump Santa Clause depicted on the exterior).

Even though her mouth was still steaming with warmth, she pulled a chocolate brown blanket closer around her legs. Hannah was sitting at her desk in her childhood room, watching Netflix on her laptop. It was her school's holiday break and, as usual, she took that opportunity to come home, relax, see her family and binge watch the shows she had fallen behind on while studying furiously for finals during the semester.

The only problem was that this had not been an ordinary semester. And the things that had happened to her over the fall, namely meeting a certain Killua Zoldyck, had pretty much ruined all her holiday activities. She couldn't relax because she was worried about Killua. She couldn't binge watch her shows because she was so distracted by even more thoughts of Killua (specifically the ones that included memories of their first kiss). And most of all she couldn't enjoy being home with her family because of what Killua had said.

 _Some things aren't my secrets to tell. But maybe you should talk to your parents about their past and why they waited so long to have a daughter._

What did he mean when he said that? How could her parents have anything to do with the Masked Man wanting to kill her? And moreover, why did Killua know something about her parents that she didn't? None of it made any sense. Just thinking about it was making her head spin.

But as little sense as his words made… they still scared her. And that was why she hadn't spoken to her parents yet about it. Over the past couple weeks, it had been easier to pretend that this was a normal winter break. That there wasn't someone out there trying to kill her. That things were like they used to be. It was easier to waste brainpower trying to rationalize it all than it was to ask her parents and perhaps find out something she didn't want to hear…

She shook the thoughts out of her head and tried to focus again on her TV show. What was the name of that character again? She forgot. But he looked pretty angry. Her eyes started to wonder. Her desk was a cluttered mess: a stack of letters, a picture of Claire and she as kids, a Picaso bobble head, lamp, post-it notes, assorted trash, water bottle, several novels, and her sketch book, which was open to the most recent page she had drawn in. It was a detailed sketch of a raven, with sleek black feathers and knowing beady eyes. She was particularly proud of this particular drawing. She had something she liked to call a "zone" that she would enter while doing her best work. It was one of those rare moments when everything else in the world would just fade away and all that existed was her pencil on paper.

She wondered what Killua was doing right now. She wondered if he was any closer to finding his friend. She wondered if Gon was actually alive. She hoped with all her heart that he was. She wouldn't be able to bear seeing the disappointment across Killua's face if he wasn't.

 _TV show, Hannah. TV show._ She scolded herself abruptly, brushing the bangs out of her eyes so that her sole attention could be on…

"Hannah! Dinner's ready!" That was her mom's voice, calling up from downstairs.

 _Thank goodness._ Hannah thought, relieved to be able to shut the screen of her laptop. It was mentally draining to not concentrate.

Feeling the winter chill even from inside her bedroom, Hannah picked up her blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders like a cloak. She was about to head downstairs to satisfy her growling stomach when suddenly she heard three stiff knocks on her window.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

Startled, Hannah jumped a little bit, but quickly calmed down. Those weren't knocks; they were _pecks._

Now brimming with excitement, she flew over to the window and opened it, allowing a gust of frigid air to surge into her bedroom, slicing through the warmth of her blanket with ease. But it was worth it. On her window seal, stood a jet black Raven. It stood calm and proud like a statue, entirely unlike any bird of its kind. Best of all, there was something attached to its leg. A small piece of paper rolled up into a tight scroll. The moment she released the bird of its package, the Raven flew away into the night.

Heart pounding with a mixture of excitement and nervousness, Hannah plopped down on her bed to read the letter. She didn't even bother to shut her window first. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized the familiar handwriting. Tidy. Elegant. Perfect.

 _Hazel-_

 _I know I haven't written in a while, but that is simply because we are busy. I am close. Very close. I don't think I'll be gone for too much longer. Don't worry and keep that smile on your face. I look forward to seeing it soon._

 _-Killua_

The note was shorter than normal. He must not be kidding about being busy. He said he was close but maybe he was _really_ close. Killua wasn't the type to soften any truth. If he said he would be back soon, he meant it. That was encouraging. Extremely encouraging.

Hannah's giddy smile after reading the note faded abruptly as those familiar words rung through her head yet again.

 _Maybe you should talk to your parents about their past and why they waited so long to have a daughter._

Whatever it was he meant by that, it wasn't going to be easy for her to hear. Her parents were keeping a secret from her. Killua didn't tell her directly, but he clearly thought that she should try to find out for herself. He thought she was strong enough to learn the truth.

And besides, maybe the truth would make her crazy new world make a little more sense.

 _That's it._ Hannah declared to herself. _I'm going to ask my parents about it._ _I need to know the truth. Whatever it is that may be._

And so, she left the fuzzy blanket in a heap on her bed and hurried downstairs to face her mom and dad.

Hannah was much taller than her mom. Standing at only 5 foot 4 inches, Beth was a good four inches shorter than her daughter. She had fiery ginger hair that flipped up at her shoulders, a petite frame and wore tortoise shell glasses that formed large loops around her dark brown eyes. Although her signature ginger hair was dyed that particular hue, Hannah's mom insisted that it was still her natural color. She merely dyed it to hide the increasing number of grey hairs that always insisted on popping up at her age of 56.

Hannah's father, Martin, was much taller. And it was a good thing he was too. His wife never minded reminding him that his chubby belly would look a lot larger if he weren't still towering over 6 feet. The top of his head was balding and the sides were peppered with more gray than black.

"There you are." Mom said as Hannah flitted down the last few steps. "The spaghetti is going to go cold! Hurry up!"

"Will do." Hannah said with a weak smile. She grabbed the plate her mom was forcing into her grasp and then walked over to the stove, piling noodles and spaghetti sauce onto her plate. Then, she joined her parents at the kitchen table.

While her parents bickered lightly about whose turn it was to take out the trash, Hannah collected her nerves. She couldn't put this off any longer. She had to do it. The moment there was a lull in the conversation, she spoke up.

"Hey, mom, dad," Hannah said, taking a deep breath. Her voice was coming off far too jittery. "I wanted to ask you something."

Both adults looked up from their food and returned her gaze attentively. Her mom spoke. "Sure, honey. Anything."

"Well it's just… I was wondering…" The girl took another breath to steady herself. "I wasn't born until you guys were 37. Why'd you wait so long?"

They shared a glance. Hannah panicked. Why were they sharing a glance?

"You're mother and I were very involved in our careers. We wanted to make sure we were ready before having children."

"You got married in college." Hannah said quietly but with more confidence. "That doesn't sound like two people who like to wait."

Her dad laughed, although it didn't seem quite as full as it normally did. "Maybe we learned our lesson the second time around!"

Smiling weakly, Hannah decided to take a different route. She certainly wasn't going to give this up yet. Not when she was now absolutely certain her parents were keeping something from her.

"Is that why I don't have any siblings? Because you waited too long?"

"You were always enough." Her mom said firmly. "We never needed any child other than you."

Hannah was silent for a while. She decided to dispense with the act and come out directly with what she was thinking.

"Then why does it feel like you guys are hiding something from me?"

Her parents looked at each other again. Her mom's throat was tight and her dad looked as though he wanted to vomit.

"You can tell me, you know." Hannah said gently. "I'm old enough to handle it. It would change anything. You are my parents. I'll love you no matter what."

Her mom was the one to speak first. Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

"How do you know?"

"I don't. I just know there is something you need to tell me."

Her mom swallowed again. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. "We love you so much, Han. As much as any parent has ever loved there child. More than that even…"

Her mom turned to her husband for help. Martin nodded and cleared his throat.

"Your mom is right, Hannah. You shouldn't ever doubt how much we love you."

"You guys are making me nervous." Hannah said with a weak laugh. "Just tell me already."

Her dad looked at her square in the eyes. "We aren't your biological parents. You're adopted."

Hannah blinked once. Her lips were parted open slightly. She was frozen to the spot.

She didn't know what she had been expecting, but that wasn't it.

"I'm… adopted?" She heard herself speak the words, but she didn't remember saying them. All of a sudden the air was really thick and the light was making her vision fuzzy. The smell of marinara sauce was suddenly really heavy and pungent. It was as if her mind was enhancing all of her other senses because her heart wasn't working properly.

Her parents began speaking rapidly, talking over each other, hurrying to explain. Although their voices seemed loud and forceful, she only caught snippets of meaning.

They were sorry for not telling her sooner.

Didn't want for her to find out like this.

They tried to have a baby for so long.

She was a miracle.

Their miracle.

They got the child they always wanted… it just wasn't in the way they always thought it would happen.

"We don't know who your… _biological_ parents are." Her mother continued. Hannah was only just beginning to realize how warm her smile was. They both had tears in their eyes. "We adopted you from a foster home when you were seven months old. We raised you as our child. Perhaps the reason we never told you the truth was because your father and I truly see you as _ours._ The fact that we don't have the same blood in our veins… that doesn't mean anything, do you hear me, Hannah? We love you _so_ much."

Hannah smiled back at her mom as another tear fell down her cheek. She nodded.

"I know." She replied softly. Her voice was hoarse, but genuine. "I love you both."

And it was true. They were her parents. That would never change. This was a shock, but it didn't change anything. She would learn to accept it.

But the why did she feel so scared? Why was her heart hammering away inside her chest? It was painful, pounding against the wall of her ribs like a drum.

"Can I… do you mind if I go up to my room for a while?" Hannah asked softly. "I'm not mad… I just need a little time alone… to think."

"Of course, honey. You take all the time you need."

"Thanks." Hannah mumbled before turning around and sprinting up the stairs, leaving her spaghetti cold on the table. She found her way to her room not by sight, but by memory. Her eyes were blurry with tears. She fell down on her bed, burying her face into her pillow, blocking out everything but her inner thoughts.

And that was when the questions came.

How did Killua know? How did he know that she was adopted? How _long_ had he known? But then again… maybe the better question was _why_ did Killua know? It couldn't be a coincidence- Killua knowing that she was adopted and being ordered to assassinate her all those months ago. It was connected. The Man in the Metal Mask wanted to kill her. The Man in the Metal Mask already killed Gon. His goal was to get revenge on Ging, Gon's father.

Her parents weren't actually her parents.

Why anyone would bother to kill her had been baffling Hannah for months. She was an ordinary girl. From an ordinary family.

But now she didn't know who her real family was.

What if they weren't ordinary?

What if… what if her real father was Ging? What if Gon was her brother? What if that was the real reason Killua decided not to kill her? What if that was the reason the Man in the Metal Mask hadn't come to kill her himself? He didn't know who she was because she didn't know herself.

It was truly frightening how much sense all of it made. And so, she cried a little more.

XXX

Back pressed up against a shiny white wall, Killua peaked around the corner. The mansion hallway was tall and wide with arched ceilings and royal red carpeting. Shimmering beneath the glow of a golden chandelier, expensive paintings and artwork decorated the corridor. There was no one in sight besides an elderly maid dusting off a statue in the corner of a hall. Her back was turned. They had enough time. Pointing forward with two fingers, Killua gestured for the other hunters to follow him. Kurapika and Leorio were sharp on his tail, while Ging trailed behind more slowly, hands in pockets, walking upright.

They hurried silently down the hallway until they reached the door at the end of it. Killua sharpened his senses briefly before opening it, revealing a winding staircase that led down below.

Everything was going smoothly so far. They had infiltrated the mansion with ease and had navigated it according to the blueprints they had commandeered and studied in preparation for this moment. The Man in the Metal Mask's mansion had a large, elaborate, unmapped underground area. The butler he had tortured last night had revealed the highest security location of the mansion was the basement. Not even he knew what was down there. If Gon truly was being kept here, it would be beneath the foundation.

The group of four hustled down the red carpeted staircase, keeping their steps light and their movement brisk. At the foot of the staircase stood another door. After a swift nod of agreeance, Kurapika pushed the door open. What lay beyond it was startlingly different from the pristine mansion above. They had clearly reached the basement. However, it might have been more appropriate to call it a dungeon.

The narrow hallway before them was murky and poorly lit. The same soggy stone that made up the floors lined the walls, creating a corridor of dark rock. Several passageways split off from the main path. Those branches were even slimmer than the main hall. Killua frowned in distaste. It was looking like the Man in the Metal Mask was insane enough to create an entire labyrinth of passageways beneath his hangout. This was definitely not on the building blueprints. How annoying.

Leading the group, Killua remained on the main path through the basement, unwilling to stray into the maze so soon into their expedition. Then he heard something. Voices. Directly up ahead. Coming towards them. Killua signaled this to his companions, but it was evidenced by their auras that they already knew. There was no time to hide or escape. They were about to be discovered.

Two guards, dressed in jet black armor, rounded the corner and instantly jumped into action upon seeing the intruders, running towards them with weapons raised.

"So much for stealth." Kurapika muttered, whipping out his Bokken.

"I didn't like being quiet anyway!" Leorio declared. Using his nen technique, Leorio transported his fist, upper cutting one of the guards square in the face. He let out a whelp and then passed out. The second guard screamed for backup before Kurapika reached him. The blonde hunter was able to dispose of him quickly, but they were by no means finished.

"More are coming. From multiple directions." Ging said casually to the former assassin, hands still in his pockets. He hadn't made any move to defend himself yet.

"How many?" Killua asked.

Ging was concentrating with his eyes closed. He was clearing using En. He opened his eyes. "I count 74."

Killua snorted. "I counted 73."

"Let's see who is right." Ging said with a smirk. Killua rolled his eyes.

"Can't wait."

And in that moment, dozens of new guards closed in on them. They came from in front of them, behind them and from the sides through branching passageways. Leorio yowled and started attacking. Kurapika followed in suite minus the yell. Killua and Ging fought back to back, fending off the guards with ease. Even though most of the guards were hunters and could use nen, they were still ridiculously weak. After knocking out one burly guard with a well-placed elbow to his chin, Killua dropped to the ground, and kicked out a leg to low sweep four guards simultaneously. The blow shattered their legs. They didn't get back up.

Ging was battling with similar ease. He only bothered to use his right hand, using his left to cover his mouth as he yawned. He karate chopped any guard that came too close on the neck and they would be to the floor immediately.

It took only five minutes for the four hunters to dispose of all the guards. Killua did a quick count of all the bodies on the floor. He looked at Ging and tilted his head with a smirk.

"73. Like I said."

"Yeah, not including the one that ran away." Ging replied. "74 total. You and Gon never were that good at En"

Killua rolled his eyes.

"What a load of chumps." Leorio said. "That masked bastard must be an idiot if these guys were the only thing he left to protect his mansion."

"It was far too easy." Kurapika nodded in agreeance.

"That's what concerns me." Killua said ominously.

"Let's just keep moving forward." Ging said, taking the lead. He was starting to get interested.

They walked for nearly ten minutes, unsure of whether the direction they were going was the right one. No more guards interrupted their progress. With every passing minute, Killua grew more and more apprehensive. This place was huge. There was no way they were just going to luck into finding wherever Gon was being kept. But Ging was right. Their only option at the moment was to keep moving forward.

They turned a corner and then halted to a stop. A dead end.

"Shit." Leorio said. "Just our luck."

"It seems we have no choice but to go back and choose a different path." Kurapika said logically.

"That might be difficult." Ging said, turning around to look down the path they had come from. The other three did the same. Except it wasn't there. A wall had closed in behind them, leaving them nowhere to go.

They were trapped.

"Double shit." Leorio cursed.

Killua frowned. He had been expecting something like this. Kurapika didn't seem surprised either.

"It makes sense that the Man in the Metal Mask wouldn't solely trust humans to protect what is down here. He's using traps too."

"Well too bad these walls can't hold me in!" Leorio declared. He focused all his aura into his fist and unloaded it into a punch directed at the wall.

But the wall didn't break. It didn't even waver.

Killua put a hand up to the wall, feeling it. It wasn't an ordinary wall. "I don't think this wall can be broken."

"Of course it can. Leorio said. "Anything will break if you hit it hard enough."

And so, the doctor/hunter began to pound away some more at the wall. But it still refused to break. But it did move.

"The wall is moving." Kurapika said.

"See?" Leorio said with pride. "All it takes is a little muscle-"

"No." Kurapika said. His mouth dropped open, fear leaking onto his face. "It's moving inwards."

"The walls are closing in on us." Killua said, forcing himself to remain calm. Sure enough, the slow scraping noise of rock on rock could be heard in the small space. All four walls were moving towards them, gradually making the room even smaller.

"Triple shit." Leorio said.

"Idiot." Ging said, rolling his eyes.

"I don't see you doing anything to help!" Leorio retaliated immediately.

"At least I'm not getting us killed in my attempts to help." Ging was smiling carelessly. His voice was pure snark.

"You-"

Kurapika cut him off. "No fighting." He said sharply. "There isn't the time."

Meanwhile the walls were still moving in. Now, the square they were trapped in was only seven feet in length. It was getting rather tight.

Ging had quieted down and was now deep in thought. Such a skilled hunter doesn't become the hunted so easily. The walls continued to close, but then, a voice came out from nowhere.

" _Many have heard me, but few have seen me. I will not speak until spoken to."_

"What the hell was that?" Leorio said, swinging his head from side to side. "Did the rest of you hear that?"

"Yes." Killua said softly, processing the words he just heard.

"Well whoever said that is full of crap. We didn't speak to her but she still spoke anyway!"

"It's a riddle." Kurapika said.

"And most likely our way out of here." Ging said, nodding his head.

The walls continued to move in. The length of their cage had narrowed to five feet.

"Well then we better answer it fast!" The doctor said. "Anyone have any ideas?"

Kurapika held his fingers to his chin, deep in thought. He murmured the words of the riddle out loud. "Many have heard me, but few have seen me."

The walls had moved in another half foot.

"I will not speak until spoken to." Killua finished. His mind was racing for the answer. An overwhelming sense of frustration closed in on him as quickly as the walls around him. Although he strained to keep his mind focused on the riddle, his thoughts floated to Hannah back in her house and Gon, who was all too close. He would not be stopped here. He could not fail because of a trap or a riddle. He had to find Gon. He had to make it back to Hazel. For the first time in a long time, he felt an overwhelming desire to live.

However, his desperation was also clouding his judgement. His brain was foggy. He couldn't think clearly like he normally did… Knowing this only made his heart pound faster.

The walls were only three feet apart. The shoulders of the four hunters were pressed up against each other… The stone of the walls continued to contract. The pressure was too great. There was no hope of pushing against it. Just when it felt as though Killua's lungs would be crushed, Ging spoke with an infuriatingly calm voice.

"An echo." He said.

The walls stopped.

Suddenly, the floor disappeared beneath them. They fell ten feet before slamming into another dark stone floor.

Despite being jolted by the impact, Killua let out a breath somewhere in between relief and frustration. He hated that Ging was the one to save his ass.

"Ouch." Leorio grumbled, pulling himself back up to his feet. Killua followed in suit, slowly standing up again, taking in his new surroundings. It was remarkably similar to the dungeon-like labyrinth above. Murky stone walls. Frigid air. Darkness. The ceiling had reclosed above them and they were in another chamber. The only way out was three doors lined up against the far wall.

"That masked bastard must be one cocky son of a bitch." Leorio commented with a scowl. "First a riddle, now a choice between three doors. This is like being in Hunter Exam's Trick Tower all over again."

"It definitely feels similar." Kurapika agreed.

"It just goes to show that the Masked Man doesn't necessarily want to kill intruders down here. He wants to test them. Or at least make it possible for someone to find the end. Otherwise there wouldn't have been an answer to that riddle." Killua said.

"But why?" Kurapika mused, narrowing his eyes.

Killua had a few ideas, but he didn't respond. He was sick of trying to figure out the Masked Man's warped sense of rationality and they had a much more pressing problem to deal with right now anyway. They still had to find Gon. And to get to him, it looked like they were going to have to go through one of the three doors on the far wall. But which should they pick? What would be the consequences of picking the wrong one? There was a period of heavy silence, before Ging broke it.

"Is no one going to thank me for answering the riddle?" He complained.

Killua glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

"No."

Thoroughly ignored, Ging crossed his arms and pouted in the corner.

"Which door should we pick?" Kurapika said, voicing the question out loud. "The right one could lead to Gon, but the wrong one could lead to another trap."

Killua examined the doors. They were the same in every aspect. Furthermore there was no sign of one being used more than another. They had nothing to go on to make the decision.

"Well it's obvious what he have to do, isn't it?" Leorio declared, puffing out his chest. "If this place _is_ like the Trick Tower, then we should be able to get out of here the same way."

Killua and Kurapika shared a glance and smirked.

"I wonder if these walls are just as durable as the ones above." Kurapika said.

"That would take a lot of nen." Killua answered. He looked at Leorio. "You want to find out?"

"It would be my pleasure. A moldy stone wall isn't going to stop me from getting Gon back!" He roared and then punched the side wall with all his might, ignoring the three doors all together.

The stone wall gave instantly beneath the power of the punch, crumbling into pieces, leaving a gap in the wall.

Blinding white light pierced through the gap, forcing Killua to squint his eyes. Once his pupils readjusted, he was able to see beyond the wall. It looked to be a sterile white room with white tiled floors, and starch white walls. Was it some sort of… laboratory?

He didn't hesitate to find out. Killua was the first one to climb through the gap in the wall and explore what the other side held. The white room was massive, stretching in either direction for at least a hundred meters. Harsh artificial lights lined the ceiling all the way down, leaving not a shadow in sight. Filling the entire space were rows upon rows and columns upon columns of shiny metal tables, dazzling silver beneath all the light. Each table held _something_ on top of them, but that something was covered by a sheet. There was all sorts of medical and laboratory equipment littered throughout the room and beside the tables. There was everything from microscopes, to IV bags, to test tubes, to metal contraptions Killua had never seen before in his life. The entire area was so foreign and massive that Killua had no idea what to think. However, a chill still ran up his spines. Perhaps the most eerie thing of all was that there wasn't a single living soul in the space. It was just them.

And it was quiet. Too quiet.

"Creepy." Leorio commented, swinging his head from left to right with his eye wide. "You think Gon is down here somewhere?"

"I don't know." Killua responded. "Whatever this place is, it's definitely the high-security area the butler told me about last night."

"Well there's only one way to find out what this place really is." Ging said with a smirk. Kurapika raised an eyebrow and watched the veteran hunter walk over to one of the metal tables. They were long and rectangular, raised a meter off the ground. There was definitely some sort of lumpy object lying on top of its surface that was hidden from sight by the sheet. Ging grabbed the corner of the covering and lifted it off.

Killua's mouth dropped open.

It was a person. A _dead_ person.

The man lying back-down on the table was undeniably lifeless. His skin was gray and wrinkled, fitting loose over deteriorating flesh. His cheekbones were gaunt and prominent and the stench of decomposition emanated from his corpse.

"What the hell." Leorio said softly. "You don't think…"

Kurapika turned to another table, ripping off the cloth. Another dead body was hidden beneath it. This one was a women.

"Don't tell me every one of these tables is holding a dead person! There's hundreds of them!" Leorio said. "That's it. The Man in the Metal Mask is a total psychopath!"

"He must have been performing experiments on them." Ging said, examining another corpse on the adjacent table. This one had a surgical incision down its abdomen. Flaps of skin were peeled back and pinned down, revealing all of his internal organs.

A sinking feeling manifested in Killua's gut. And it wasn't the smell of the dead. It was the nagging fear in the back of his mind. He didn't want to let himself think it, but the possibility was undeniable.

 _What if one of these bodies was Gon?_

Killua bent low over one of the corpses, examining the face. The Masked Man wanted Gon- and Hannah- dead. Why was he wasting his time experimenting on all of these people?

And then the eyes of the corpse flew open wide.

A hand with the chill of death grabbed Killua's neck, strangling him. Shock and adrenaline pulsing through his veins, Killua grabbed the arm and pulled it back sharply, breaking the bone. The corpse, fully awake and conscious, didn't yell in pain, but rather sat up and continued to reach for Killua with its unbroken arm.

It was like the thing was possessed, clawing at Killua with overgrown fingernails.

"Please tell me that thing isn't moving." Leorio said slowly, face becoming as pale as the corpses. "Please tell me I'm imagining this!"

"It's not moving." Ging complied with a teasing smile. "Just like that one behind you isn't moving either."

Leorio spun around to see another corpse waking up. It ripped the IV from its arm and began to crawl off of the table, moving towards the doctor with hands outstretched. Leorio yelped and punched it in the face, stopping its progress.

Killua backed away from the corpse that had attacked him. Its eyes were open but there was nothing behind them. It wasn't living… but it wasn't dead either.

"The corpses seem to be reanimated somehow." Kurapika said calmly.

"Reanimated? Like zombies? For real? _Zombies?!_ " Leorio shouted.

More corpses were beginning to awaken. They were all starting to move towards the only living things in the room. And they didn't appear to be friendly.

Gritting his teeth, Killua snapped the neck of the zombie closest to him. It stumbled a little, but then recovered, moving towards him again. Letting out a breath of annoyance, Killua placed on hand on the zombie's shoulder and the other beneath its chin. Yanking hard, Killua ripped off the zombie's head. It fell to the floor, dead once more.

"Looks like you have to rip off the head." Killua said, discarding the head onto the ground. It hit the floor with a loud thump.

"Watch it, kid!" Leorio said, punching another corpse that was getting too close. "They're still people."

"They're _dead_ people." Killua corrected.

"How the hell are they coming back to life?!" Leorio asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think it's a coincidence that we suddenly have to deal with… zombies." Killua said. Every muscle in his body was tense.

"What do you mean?" Kurapika asked, narrowing his brown orbs into slits. Killua took a deep breath. His throat felt tight. He gestured to the reanimated bodies closing in around them.

"These people were dead. And now they aren't. Does that sound familiar to anyone?" Killua asked harshly. His hands were knotted up in fists. The words felt disgusting coming out of his mouth.

Leorio's mouth fell open in understanding. "No… Gon can't be… _one of them._ "

"There's only one way to find out." Ging said, punching a zombie so hard in the head that its skull cracked.

Kurapika nodded. "We have to fight our way through the zombies to verify none of them are Gon. Furthermore, not all of the corpses on the tables have been reanimated. Some of them are still dead. We need to check under the sheets on the tables to be sure Gon isn't among them."

"What if- What if Gon _is_ one of the zombies?" Leorio asked softly.

"We'll deal with that problem when the time comes." Killua said, cutting him off. He looked out at the ginormous space filled with zombies and tables. "I'm the fastest. I'll check the tables. You three fight off the zombies. Let's get through this as fast as possible."

His three companions nodded their agreeance, turning to face the incoming heard of undead. Killua ignited himself in an electric blue aura and began to fly through the white room, checking under the sheets to be sure than his best friend wasn't one of the dead on the tables.

His heart pounded in his chest. He looked at dead face after dead face, none of which he recognized. He wasn't sure what sort of emotions he was feeling at the moment. There was no time to think about that.

It took him five minutes to check all of the tables that still held their corpses. Gon was nowhere to be found. Killua gritted his teeth. There was only one place left that he hadn't checked. On the far wall there was a clear glass door. Walking at normal speed, Killua pushed it open.

This room was as white as the one before, but much smaller. It was barely large enough to fit the long metal table standing at its center.

On the table was a body, uncovered by any cloth or concealment.

 _It was Gon._

There he was. Lying there in plain white clothes. He was _real_.

Heart hammering in his throat, Killua walked towards him, putting one foot in front of the other in a dream-like trance. The world was silent and the air was still. The only sound audible was Killua's own uneven breathing.

As he got closer, he could see the face of his friend. It was so familiar. Yet at the same time it was completely foreign. His skin was pale and his eyes were closed. His cheeks sank into his skull and his hair was flat to his head. All his muscle and strength were gone. What he remembered as a vibrant, wild hunter, now resembled a ghost. An after-image of his former self. Raising his hand slowly, Killua reached out to touch Gon's arm.

It was icy cold to the touch. Killua jerked away faster than he would have touching an open flame.

Taking a deep breath, collecting his emotions, Killua reached out to place two fingers on the side of his friend's neck, just below his jawline. He waited to feel a pulse. Anything.

There was nothing. Gon was dead.

Killua stood there frozen for some time. He didn't know how long. His eyes were burning with pain. His heart was still with confusion. He bit his lips so hard he drew blood.

He felt tears welling up around his eyes, but he blinked hard, trying to shove them back. He shouldn't be crying. This only confirmed what he already knew. He already went through this pain once… it was ridiculous to go through it again. But-

Killua closed his eyes, shook his head, and took another deep breath. He tried to think about his next move- what he was going to do next- but he couldn't come up with anything. A tear managed to squeeze out between his furiously closed eyelids.

And then he felt a cold hand close around his wrist. The icy touch jerked Killua's eyes open. He saw it just in time. He saw the moment Gon opened his eyes.

They were brown.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hi again! Sorry it's been longer than usual since I last updated, but I've been going out of my mind studying for finals. But good news: I'm done with finals and have no responsibilities for the next month! I'm going to try to start writing more and get as far ahead in this story as I can so that I'm able to keep updates fairly regular until the end.**

 **And more on _this_ particular chapter, ZOMBIES. I bet you didn't see that coming, haha. No, I swear there is a good reason for reanimated dead corpses to be walking around, so don't worry about my metal health for writing about it :) AND, Hannah finally found out that she is adopted. Furthermore, our girl is pretty smart and is fairly certain who her biological father is. Finally, Gon. He is awake. But is he alive? I apologize for the cliff hanger, but I enjoy keeping you guessing. **

**Next chapter will be Christmas themed (I'm quite proud of how the timing worked out on that one). Stay tuned and as always, let me know what you think.**

 **Much love and affection,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter**


	21. Chapter 20: Merry Christmas

**More Than a Killer**

 _ **-PART TWO-**_

Chapter 20

Merry Christmas

"Gon?" Killua asked tentatively. His voice was horse, choking on the breath he wasn't able to take.

For a moment, those brilliant brown orbs merely stared back at him, shining with a vitality that Killua never thought he would see again. Killua's heart pounded against his chest, one slow heavy beat after another. He didn't dare let himself breathe. He didn't dare let himself speak. He didn't dare let himself think.

Gon blinked. His pupils were slowly coming into focus as he took in the image of Killua hovering above him. After a brief period of disorientation, something absolutely magical happened.

Gon's mouth split into a broad smile, stretching easily from cheek to cheek.

"Killua?" He said. His voice was muffled and hoarse, filled with weariness and pain, but at that moment, Gon had never seemed more _alive._ "Killua, is that really you?"

That was when Killua lost it. Fresh, raw tears welled up around Killua's eyes and then streamed down his cheeks. He shook his head in an overwhelmed disbelief. But nothing could stop him from grinning like mad.

He hadn't truly let himself believe it. He never _actually_ thought this moment would come. He had been trained all his life to focus on reality, not possibility. He dealt in hard facts, not wild hopes or dreams. He never allowed himself to hope. But now there was no question. There was no mistaking _this._

Gon… Gon, his best friend, was _back_.

"Yeah, it's me." Killua forced the words out in a whisper.

Gon's smile didn't relent- if anything it only grew bigger. Killua didn't know what else to say. It was like he was living a dream. He was terrified that if he spoke, if he moved, if he did anything more than breathe, he might wake up and return to reality.

Still gripping onto Killua's wrist for support, Gon pulled himself up into a sitting position. It was painful to watch. The hunter winced in pain as he contracted his abdominal muscles to sit upright. But he made it. Gon always did. Still watching in awe, Killua watched as his friend got off of the table, placing his bare feet into the icy tile floor. He staggered as he forced himself to stand. He nearly fell, but Killua was there to catch him, placing Gon's arm over his shoulders for support. Gon leaned against his best friend for support, breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry, Killua." Gon said, looking at the floor, chest heaving. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen… I never wanted…"

Seemingly, for the first time, Gon was lost for words. Tears were starting to fall from his eyes. Raw emotion coursing through his blood, Killua clasped a hand onto Gon's shoulder and pulled him into a tight embrace. One that was long overdue.

"What the hell are you apologizing for?" Killua said. His voice was firm, allowing for no further debate or apologies. "You're my best friend. And you're alive. That was all I ever needed."

When they pulled apart, Gon kept a hand on Killua's shoulder to steady himself. His skin was beginning to feel warm again. Gon smiled and looked Killua straight in the eye. Sparkling pools of brown met bold orbs of blue. It was a surreal moment. One that brought so many memories flooding into Killua's mind. All of the adventures, all of the challenges, all of the battles, all of the laughter, all of the tears, everything they had been through together- it all had led up to this moment. The moment that Killua knew without a shadow of a doubt that their story wasn't over yet. It was just getting started.

Gon blinked once, revealing a shade of darkness that wasn't there before.

"I don't know how many times I died down here. But I always knew you'd find me."

"Sorry it took so long." Killua said, not commenting on his friend's unusual choice of words. _I don't know how many times I died down here._

And just like that the darkness was gone, leaving a giddy teen beaming in its place.

"What the hell are you apologizing for?" Gon said with a laugh so light it didn't belong in the cold laboratory room. "You saved my ass again. Thank you."

Killua huffed and turned his head to the side. "I haven't saved you yet. We still have to get out of this place."

"Where exactly is here?" Gon asked. His eyes were beginning to droop with exhaustion. He was so weak.

"I'll explain later. For now we need to check on-"

Gon's eyes flew open wide when the door opened once more with a jolt.

"Ging." Gon said in shock. Killua turned to look as well. The Double Star Hunter froze, seeing his son again after so long. He was _alive._

"Well, I'll be damned." Ging said with his signature sideways grin. Gon blinked in awe.

"Ging. You're here too."

"Thought I'd come find you for a change." He replied with a wink.

"GON!" A loud roar burst through the air. Pushing Ging aside, Leorio scrambled into the room, breathing heavily with cuts and scrapes all over his body. He met eyes with Gon and burst into a euphoric grin. He sprinted across the room towards is young friend.

"Killua, you bastard! How dare you leave Kurapika and I to deal with the corpses while you're reuniting with Gon!"

"Leorio!" Gon chimed with laughter upon seeing another friend.

Leorio was on top of Gon in an instant, picking up the teen in a hug and swinging him around like a rag doll. Gon winced slightly in pain, but overall he didn't seem to mind.

"Careful, Leorio. He's not at 100%." Kurapika said, striding over to the reunion party. He was much more controlled in his movements, but his face was lit up in the warmest sort of joy. "Gon." He said, stretching out a hand for Gon to shake. "It's good to see you again."

"Kurapika." Gon wasn't about to let his blonde friend get off that easy. Moving from Leorio to Kurapika, he enveloped the blonde in a tight hug. Kurapika returned the gesture with zero complaints.

"I- I can't thank all of you enough." Gon said, looking from face to face. "I didn't know how long I'd be down here. I didn't know if I'd ever make it out. There… there is a lot I have to tell you. A lot I have to explain… and even more that I don't know how to explain…"

"You don't have to worry about any of that now." Killua said, feeling stronger and steadier than he had in a while. "All we need to focus on is getting out of here."

"How are we going to do that?" Gon asked.

Ging laughed. "Between the five of us, I'd say we have four of the most powerful hunters of our generation in here. I think we can manage."

"Four?" Leorio growled, raising a combative fist at the older man.

"Save it." Kurapika said, holding a hand up at Leorio to prevent him from going to crazy.

Gon and Killua shared a glance, both rumbling with laughter. Killua had forgotten how good it felt to laugh with his best friend. He thought with glee about all the time they still had in the future to share laughter. And perhaps… someone else would be there to laugh with them.

"Come on." Killua said, gesturing the group forward. "Oh, and Gon, there is someone that I want you to meet."

XXX

Hannah was sitting at her desk, hands shoved into the pockets of her cheap, dark gray sweatpants. The hood of her sweatshirt was pulled low over her forehead. Strands of slightly greasy hair poked out the front of the hoodie, framing her gaunt face in wavy strands of a dull honey brown.

There were bags under her eyes. She didn't sleep at all last night. She tried to, of course. But no matter how hard she tried to close her eyes, they would pop back open to stare blankly at the ceiling.

Bright winter light was streaming in through her window. Everything was completely covered in snow- cars, trees, houses, everything. All the white made the morning light seem even brighter.

Eventually, she went downstairs to make an appearance for her parents. She forced a smile on her face and told them that she was okay.

"Are you sure, honey?" Her mom said, brow furrowed deep with worry.

"If you still have any questions, we are more than willing to answer them." Her father said. He held the Sunday paper in his grip, but he hadn't even made it past the front page.

"Yes, I'm sure. And no, I don't. But if I do, I know I can ask." Hannah replied, quickly reassuring her parents, not wanting to linger on the subject. She squinted to read the date off her father's newspaper, but couldn't since she wasn't wearing her contacts. "What's today again?"

"Hannah… don't you know? It's Christmas Eve."

She sat down on the couch in the living room and watched TV with her parents for a while. After a few hours of pretending to laugh at some overrated sitcom, she excused herself to go back upstairs. She steadied herself with deep breaths. It still felt tense and awkward to be around her parents, but that was only to be expected. The tension would ease with time. That wasn't what she was worried about. Strangely, the fact that she found out she was adopted was the least of her problems.

She went over to stand by the window once more, looking out onto the pure white streets below. She couldn't believe that she had forgotten that it was Christmas Eve. It just went to show the different dimension her mind was currently occupying.

Inevitably the face of the man she had met on Whale Island drifted back into her mind. He had tanned skin and had a half-hazardly wrapped turbine around his head. He looked lazy and incompetent. He had barely spoke two words to her. He acted like she meant nothing to him. Was that man really her father?

She shook her head, willing herself to stop thinking about it before she knew for sure. She needed Killua to come back as soon as possible. She needed answers from him. And this time there weren't going to be any secrets left between them. He had held the truth back from her long enough.

The hours passed by slowly. Hannah tried to occupy herself with her drawing, with a book, and with her laptop, but nothing seemed to work. All she could do was wait. All she could do was let the rings grow darker around her eyes.

Night fell on the wintery scene outside, casting Hannah's room in darkness. She turned on her bedside lamp. She wondered if she should try falling asleep or not. It probably wouldn't do her any good. As tired as she was, she knew sleep wouldn't come.

The moon climbed higher in the sky. Without a cloudless night and a glimmering half-moon, the snowy ground shimmered silver in the night. Hannah grabbed her phone and checked the time. 12:03 AM. It was Christmas.

It sure didn't feel like Christmas.

Hannah didn't know what happened to her life for it to come down to this. In the past she could blame it all on meeting Killua. It all started to happen after than late night in the library they shared together. Since that night, she had been shot at, come close to death, found out the guy she liked was an assassin, fell hard for said assassin, found out she was adopted, and realized that there was a good chance she had a father who didn't acknowledge her and a brother who may or may not be dead according to the previously mentioned assassin.

Her life was now something out of a trashy movie script. None of it felt real. But at the same time it all felt more real than the idea that thousands of kids around the world would be waking up in a matter of hours to open their presents without a care in the world.

The only thing she wanted for Christmas was for Killua to get home safe. She needed him right now. If he didn't come back…

Her phone vibrated. Vaguely wondering who would be texting her at this hour, she picked it up. Her heart skipped a beat upon seeing the name that appeared on her screen.

 _Killua_

But that wasn't possible. He was away on a mission. He said he couldn't bring his phone with him because that meant he would be too easy to track. Unless that meant…

 _Come outside._

Unless that meant he was back. Hannah dropped her phone to the floor and rushed over to her window to look outside. Illuminated in the lonely light of a streetlamp, stood a familiar figure. His hair perfectly matched the silvery sheen of snow.

Heart thundering in her chest, she flung on the first pair of shoes she could get her hands on, hurried quietly down the stairs and rushed out the front door of her house.

There he was. Standing casually with his hands hidden in the pockets of darkly colored pants, Killua was on the street outside her house. In that moment she saw him so clearly. The messy hair that she loved. The endless blue of his eyes. The sharp angles of his face. Black collar popped against the winter winds; Killua's face broke into a smile upon seeing her. And it was the widest, happiest, most genuine smile she had ever seen him wear. Seeing that smile… it made all of her worries float away lighter than a breeze.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Hannah dashed over to him. Her steps her clumsy and uneven in the snow, but she didn't care. She just wanted to close the distance between them as quickly as possible. As stubborn as always, Killua made her do all the work. He didn't move a muscle except to open his arms up as she threw herself into him.

Feeling more than one kind of warmth, Hannah buried her head into the crook between Killua's shoulder and neck. She felt his body shake with a gleeful laughter.

"I take it you missed me?" His voice was warm and silky, but still had that insufferable arrogance she had grown to know.

She pulled away just enough so that she could tilt her head up and look at his face. His arms didn't loosen around her waist.

"I am so angry with you." Those were the words she said, but her heart wasn't really in them. She was breathless and jittery with a relief too great to be put down by the interrogation she was determined to put Killua through later.

His eyes softened at her words, understanding resonating beneath their surface. "What else is new?"

"Everything." She said. "Everything but…" Her eyes drifted from his eyes down to his lips. Suddenly, her words slipped away from her. It was as if she only just realized where she was standing. Only a couple inches away from Killua Zoldyck. In the moonlight. Early Christmas morning. Seeing each other for the first time since…

The teenage girl inside her was back. Her initial relief at his return and his aliveness was over and now she was completely unsure of how to handle herself. She wanted to kiss him, but she wasn't sure if they were in the kissing stage of their relationship yet. Wait, why was she even thinking about this right now? It was really not the time.. And now there was a long silence. She never finished her sentence. She needed to say something-

"I mean- uh- everything but-"

And then Killua kissed her, strong and slow. It was every bit as good as the first time. Maybe even better.

When he pulled away, he was still wearing that impenetrable smile. "Everything but us." He finished her sentence for her. "Sorry, but I thought you needed a little help getting there. As much as I love listening to you babble, I don't have all night."

Hannah's cheeks flushed a spectacular scarlet red. "You don't?" Disappointment poked at her heart. Killua smirked at her.

"Hannah Hazel, I have someone I want you to meet." He said. And then he looked away somewhere else. Hannah followed his gaze.

"Who-" She started to ask, but then she immediately halted. There was someone else on that lonely snowy street. A figure was emerging slowly from the shadows. As he stepped into the soft glow of the street lamp light, Hannah's mouth dropped open.

It was a boy. A young man, rather, who seemed to be around her age. He was taller than average and had bright brown eyes beneath a crown of spiky black hair. He was quite thin, to the point of appearing malnourished. His skin was pale and the bags beneath his eyes were far darker than her own. But that didn't stop him from glowing brighter than the stars above.

They met eyes for a moment. Then the unfamiliar boy immediately broke into a smile stretching broadly from ear to ear. He held up his hand in hello.

Hannah looked in sheet disbelief at Killua.

"Is that…"

"Hazel, I'd like you to meet my best friend, Gon Freecs."

XXX

Killua got some pretty good kicks watching Hannah's face as she saw Gon for the first time. At first her wide hazel eyes held nothing but confusion, but then they bulged open even wider in shock as she realized just who she was seeing. Killua didn't blame her. It truly was a sight to behold.

Gon standing. Gon breathing. Gon being _alive._ The whole trip back to York New, Killua had been waiting to wake up from what had to be a dream. He knew what his life was like. He had lived his life for nineteen years. This sort of this didn't happen to him. But there Gon was… happening.

"Yo." Gon said, smile still blazing on his face. You'd never tell from his expression, but he was nervous to meet his sister for the first time. Killua remembered fondly the conversation they had just hours earlier on the Airship ride back towards the city.

 _"I have a sister?!" Gon exclaimed in shock. His brown orbs were ripe with disbelief. He hurriedly swung his head back and forth between Killua and Ging, looking for either of them to explain further. Killua just grinned at his friend's classic reaction and allowed Ging to do the heavy lifting as far as explanations went._

 _Ging grinded his teeth in bitter reluctance. "Yep. True story."_

 _Gon leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling, trying to comprehend what he was hearing._

 _"I always wanted a sister." He said._

 _"A sister?" Leorio asked out of curiosity. He was sitting in the seat across from Gon, next to Ging. "Why not a brother?"_

 _Gong smiled and looked at Killua. "I already have a brother."_

It had only been around half a day since they rescued Gon from the Man in the Metal Mask's mansion, but Gon was already looking slightly better. His skin was warmer and some color had returned to his cheeks, despite the cold.

However, Killua knew his friend well. No matter what sort of a show Gon was putting up on the outside, he was still in a lot of pain on the inside. Whatever hell he had been through down in that laboratory, it was certainly still affecting him now. He just wanted to put on a brave face for his friend and sister. Gon was undoubtedly facing a long road to recovery, but at the moment, all that mattered was his long overdue reunion with the twin sister he never knew.

"You… you're…" Hannah stammered. Killua looked at her fondly. He liked it whenever she stuttered. The girl in question however, looked extremely flustered. "You… Hi. I'm Hannah."

Gon walked up to her. He was shaking with excitement himself.

"It's nice to meet you, Hannah! Killua's already told me a lot about you. I don't think I've ever heard him talk so much about a single person." Gon held out a hand towards her. She took it and shook.

"I would like to say the same thing," Hannah said, regaining her use of words. "But Killua has always been pretty secretive where you're concerned. Although when he does mention you… he speaks very highly of you."

"He better!" Gon agreed.

As much as Killua enjoyed seeing the pair already getting along, there was something that needed to be addressed.

"Hazel." Killua said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Judging by what you said about being angry with me, I assume you spoke with your parents?"

The smile on her face faded. She tilted her chin down in a soft nod.

"Yes." She said, looking back and forth between Gon and Killua. She spoke quietly. "I know I'm adopted. And Gon… Gon is my brother isn't he? And Ging is my father."

Killua looked at her with a sad smile. She didn't miss a beat, no matter how much he wanted her to sometimes.

"Yes." He told her.

Suddenly tears started to well up in Hannah's eyes. She sniffed and tried to wipe them away.

"Sorry." She whimpered. She looked from Gon, to Killua and back at Gon. "It's just… well, it's been a long day and seeing both of you here, I'm just really happy." Still wiping away the tears, she now looked only at Gon, taking in his new face as much as she could. Somehow even though she just met him, it felt warm and familiar. Like home. "And Gon… I'm so happy you're alive. Not just for Killua, but for me too. I'm happy to know that you're my brother."

And then to both of their surprise, Gon's eyes began to tear up as well.

"I've been trapped for a long time. All I wanted was to get out and see Killua again for the longest time. But to find out that I get to meet my sister too? That's just the icing on the cake."

And then the brother and the sister hugged. It filled Killua's heart with such joy to see them together.

"I'm sorry for crying." Hannah said. "Not the best first impression."

"It's alright! Killua cries all the time!" Gon responded without missing a beat.

"Idiot!" Killua protested. "You're the one that's crying right now!"

"You're just jealous that Hannah already likes me better." Gon said, sticking his tongue out at his best friend.

"Remind me again why I went through all that trouble to get you back."

"I don't need to." Gon said, releasing his sister from the hug. He raised a thumbs up. "Right?"

"Hey guys?" Hannah said suddenly, her voice full of giggles.

"Yeah?" They said simultaneously.

"Merry Christmas." She said, even more tears of joy running down her cheeks.

Killua smiled and then bent down to kiss her on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas." He said to her softly, close enough so that his breath warmed her skin.

"Whoa, man, get off my sister!" Gon said. "We are going to have to have a long talk about this relationship of yours!"

Killua smiled that crooked grin of his as he wrapped one arm around Hannah's shoulder and used the other to affectionately punch Gon in the chest.

"I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Aaaaaand that concludes Part Two of the story! This chapter just makes my heart so happy- I hope it brought a smile to your face as well. For me, the Gon reunion was a long time coming so I'm happy you guys get to share in my excitement.**

 **There's going to be a bit of a break in between this chapter and the start of Part Three because I want to get further ahead in my writing before I start posting more chapters. Don't worry, it won't be too long of a break! You'll start getting new chapters again in about a month, I'd say (maybe less). I have huge plans for the finale so I swear the wait will be worth it!**

 **In the mean time, please leave me a review/ PM if you have any questions or comments or jokes you want to test out before you deliver the punchline in the real world. I'd love to hear from you (:**

 **Have a very merry Christmas/ Winter Holidays/ New Year!**

 **You guys are the best,**

 **Ellie**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hunter x Hunter**


	22. Chapter 21: Gifts

**-PART THREE-**

Chapter 21

Gifts

There wasn't an ounce of grogginess in Hannah's soul as her eyes flung open to take in the soft morning light. Her bedspread formed a cocoon of warmth from the crisp winter air, but she had no inhibitions against crawling out from beneath the covers to peak at the floor below.

Her heart gave a jolt; it wasn't a dream. On the floor of her bedroom, laying in heaps of blankets and pillows were two boys. One had become a familiar face. His hair was white as snow and his facial features were sharp as glass, but as he soundly slept he seemed so much more… gentle. The second boy was a new face, but in many ways it felt like she had known him all her life. Spiky dark hair with hints of forest green, round cheeks, and the innocence of a child. He was someone that she never thought she would meet. Killua's best friend. He was someone she didn't know that she wanted to meet. Her twin brother.

Two pools of brilliant blue appeared suddenly, drawing Hannah's attention back to them. The smile that grew on her face was anything but voluntary.

"Good morning," she whispered. After reuniting on the street outside her house last night, she invited both Killua and Gon to crash at her place that night. Being the gentlemen they were (which was something Hannah never thought she would say about Killua), they insisted that Hannah keep her bed while they slept on the floor. Killua looked up at her.

"Yeah," he said softly, turning his head to see the sleeping form of his friend several feet away. "It is."

Hannah fell silent for the moment. There was so much she wanted to say, but she didn't know what to say first.

"I don't know what to say," she said, shaking her head. Everything had happened so fast last night. One moment she was exhausted, bitter and worried and the next she was overjoyed, meeting her twin brother for the first time. All of them were so tired, there wasn't much time for catching up. They fell asleep quickly.

"Me neither," Killua admitted. "I feel like I have everything. It doesn't seem real."

"You better get used to it then. Because it's real."

"I should go," he said suddenly, jarring Hannah out of her happy place.

"What? No!"

He smirked at the strength of her protest. "I'm coming back. I just thought you might rather your parents not know you had two guys spend the night. Of course, it doesn't matter to me whether they find out…"

Hannah laughed. "Oh yeah. You should definitely get out of here. I'll ask my parents if I can invite my two friends over for Christmas. After all the stuff that's been going on, there's no way they would say no."

Killua sat up from the makeshift bed he had formed from spare pillows and blankets. He grabbed his hoodie and pulled it over his head. His hair was ruffled with static as he looked at her with eyes of concern.

"How are you doing with all of this?" he asked, referencing her recent revelation that she was adopted and had a new biological family member.

"I have a twin brother. I'm excited," he replied quickly. A little too quickly.

Killua flashed her a knowing smile. "Strong as ever, I see. Good. But I'll get the real answer out of you later."

Probably much gentler than he usually was in their relationship, Killua knelt down and nudged Gon on the shoulder, waking him up. Gon slowly blinked open his eyes and groaned in protest.

"Killua… cut it out. Sleep…" he moaned, rolling over and pulling the blankets back over his head. Killua sighed.

"You gotta wake up, Gon, or Hannah isn't going to give you your Christmas present."

"Really?!" Gon exclaimed in excitement. He threw off his covers and sat up. He winced a little at the pain of the motion, but that didn't stop him from clamoring to his feet and pulling on his shoes.

A jolt surged through Hannah's heart. She whispered fiercely at Killua in a hiss. "What are you talking about?! I didn't give Gon a present! I didn't even know he was alive until last night!"

Killua frowned and raised an eyebrow. "Damn, you didn't? He's going to be crushed."

Hannah's mouth gaped open in shock. "And whose fault is that?!"

Killua shrugged. "Well I guess you could just give him whatever you were going to give me."

Hannah looked at him blankly with a mortified expression. "I didn't get you anything for Christmas either."

"Really? How rude."

"I didn't know you were coming back-"

"What are you two talking about?" Gon asked cheerily, interrupting their hushed whispers.

"Nothing," Hannah quickly replied. She looked to Killua for help, but his focus was elsewhere. A sinister smirk was appearing on his face as he looked into her open closet. Hanging in clear sight was a bright red Christmas sweater decorated with a reindeer on the front.

"Oh you just _have_ to wear this sweater today," he said.

"Ah, that's so cool!" Gon said in awe. Hannah blushed.

"No way!"

"You sure?" Killua asked, wiggling his eye brows. "You'd look really hot-"

"Get out!" Hannah declared, stomping over to her window, opening it dramatically. "And come back in twenty minutes!"

"Yes ma'am!" Gon said with a soldier's solute.

"Consider the sweater," Killua said to her with a wink as he helped Gon climb out of the window.

"Not gonna happen."

XXX

The doorbell rang. Instantly, a smile spread across Hannah's face. Twenty minutes on the dot.

"Ooh, that must be your friends!" Beth Hazel clapped her hands together in excitement. "Perfect timing too! I've just about finished the French Toast."

"With two young men invading our house on Christmas, I hope you made enough." Hannah's father joked as he took another sip of steaming black coffee.

"I'm sorry about this," Hannah apologized as she hurried across the room to answer the door. "It's just that they didn't have anywhere else to go-"

"Please, we're happy to have them," her dad assured her. "I was only joking."

"Thanks," she said, swinging open the front door to reveal two rather tall hunters standing behind it. Killua wore a black jacket and purple pants while Gon was bundled in multiple layers of forest green and tan.

"Hello!" Gon said with a hand raised in hello.

"Hi," Hannah said a little breathless. She still couldn't quite get used to the sight of them together. Or the sight of Killua looking so… _at peace._

"Hey," he said as he leaned down to kiss her cheek in hello.

"WHOA!" Hannah blurted out as skillfully dodged him. Cheeks burning bright red, she explained to Killua in a lowered voice. "You can't do that with my parents around. They don't know that we're…"

Hannah trailed off when she realized they had absolutely no definition for their relationship. Knowing full well what she was thinking, Killua raised his eyebrows and smirked.

"That we're..?" Killua prompted her. Hannah's mouth formed a small pout in frustration.

"You know what I mean!"

"No I don't," he said, playing innocent. But with those eyes and that smirk, it was _so_ not convincing.

"How is it that you've only been back for less than six hours and you are already driving me insane?" Hannah said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Killua just has that quality," Gon shrugged, interrupting their squabble. Hannah looked at him and nodded in appreciation.

"Yeah, he does." She agreed.

"Is this how it's going to be? You two teaming up against me?" Killua asked, looking offended.

Hannah and Gon looked back and forth between each other. They smiled and replied at the same time. "Yep."

Killua rolled his eyes, but there was no real annoyance there. Hannah smiled straight at him.

"Can I trust you to behave?"

"You're cute," Killua said. "You still think Gon is just an adorable little puppy, don't you? Well, you have a surprise coming your way. It's not me you need to worry about as far as behavior goes."

"Hey!" Gon protested.

"You know it's true," Killua shot back at him.

Gon shrugged. He laughed and ruffled his hair. "Well, yeah. Maybe."

"See?" Killua asked as he brushed past Hannah to step into the downstairs area of her house for the first time. It was an open area with the kitchen directly to the left upon entry and a cozy living room complete with a burning fireplace just beyond. A dining room table connected the kitchen and living area while the staircase to the second floor was nestled off to the side.

"Hello, there!" Hannah's mom said upon seeing a muscular and attractive young man enter her house. "You must be Killua! Or is it Gon?"

With a broad, schmoozing smile Hannah never thought she would see on his face, Killua strode into the kitchen and greeted her mother with effortless charisma.

"It's Killua," He said. "I'm a friend of you daughters. And this is Gon."

He gestured to the other boy following behind him.

"Hi! I'm Gon! Hannah and I met only recently, but we are going to be really good friends!"

Beth laughed. "I'm glad to hear it! Well, boys, Martin and I are more than happy that you are joining our family for Christmas. Please, make yourselves at home. I'll have breakfast ready shortly. It's a family tradition to eat French Toast on Christmas, so I hope that suits your appetites well."

"That sounds perfect, Mrs. Hazel. I'm sure it will be incredible." Killua replied smoothly. Beth giggled slightly, a barely noticeable hue of rosy pink coloring her cheeks.

"That's very sweet of you," she said.

"I'm so hungry, I'll eat anything," Gon declared, clenching his belly.

"Then you'll love mom's French Toast," Hannah said, regaining her composure after her interaction with Killua. "It's simply the best."

As Gon's eyes lit up with glee, Hannah's father walked over to greet his daughter's friends.

"And I'm Martin Hazel, Hannah's father. It's a pleasure to have you boys with us for the Holiday," He said.

Killua shook his hand and then Gon did the same. Hannah smiled. Everything was going perfectly.

The Hazel's always took their time on Christmas morning, preferring to sleep in and eat a hearty breakfast before finally settling down to exchange presents. Once their rumbling bellies were satisfied, Hannah, Martin, Beth, Killua and Gon settled around the fireplace in the company of a tall Christmas tree, shimmering with glowing lights and sparkling ornaments of every color.

First the parents exchanged presents and then Hannah opened the presents gifted to her by her parents. She received a new pair of boots, a purse that she had been eyeing for a while, and of course, plenty of cozy socks. Hannah had also bought her mom a new pair of slippers and her father a book. She decided that one of the best things about growing up was being able to get her parents presents in addition to receiving them. Especially since finding out that they were technically only her adopted parents, it meant so much more to show her appreciation through gifts. It almost brought the family to tears, but they made it through all right.

After the exciting morning, Christmas became a rather lazy day. Hannah's Grandparents and some other relatives who lived nearby would pour into her house for Christmas dinner starting around 2 o' clock, but until then, she could simply lounge around in the presence of Gon and Killua while her father helped her mother prepare the Turkey for dinner in the kitchen.

"So have you told Alluka about Gon yet?" Hannah asked Killua. She was sitting next to him on the couch. Even though they were separated by only a couple feet, it felt like a mile. She wanted to be touching him somehow so badly, but she just was not in the mood to break the news to her parents. Especially when she didn't even know exactly what the news was herself. Killua shook his head with a smile.

"No, but I can't wait to see her face when she finds out."

Hannah frowned slightly, just now realizing something.

"Wait. Where is she over the holidays? I hate to think of her by herself…"

Killua shrugged. "She's staying at a friend's place. And holidays were never that big around our house growing up so I'm sure there's no hard feelings."

"You mean your dad didn't dress up as Santa Clause and put presents under the tree?"

Killua raised an eyebrow. "Ouch. You don't have to rub it in, Hazel. You're becoming ruthless. That hurt."

"What?! No- sorry! I was only playing-"

Killua cut her off with a laugh. "I was just messing with you." He grabbed her hand, sending tingles up her arm. "You're way too easy to trick."

She shot him a glare, but didn't make any move to remove her hand from his. She checked to make sure her parents weren't watching from the kitchen. It was incredible how even something as small as holding hands could fill her heart with such joy. And so, she took a risk and let it happen for a little longer.

Gon was currently wrapped up in a Christmas movie playing on TV. It was one of those cheesy Hallmark movies with cardboard acting and predictable plots, but he seemed to be enjoying it. While he was distracted, Hannah asked Killua softly.

"How is it possible? That Gon is alive, I mean. What really happened?"

Killua frowned, glancing over at his friend. "I'll tell you everything, I promise. But can you wait a little longer? It's not exactly a conversation made for Christmas."

Hannah figured that he'd say as much. But with those endearing blue eyes piercing her soul, she couldn't say anything but, "Of course. We'll talk about it later."

XXX

Christmas Day was flying by in a flash. Some of Hannah's relatives came over for a magnificent Christmas dinner, bring pies, sides and smiles with them. Killua preformed magnificently at dinner, quickly making the entire family fall in love with him. He joked around with her four year old cousin. He complimented her grandmother's hair. And he even helped wash dishes afterwards.

However, Hannah could still see that he was worried about Gon. Gon had become less vocal and lively throughout the day due to fatigue. He wasn't at 100%. Currently, he was passed out on the couch, taking a much needed nap.

Once Killua was done in the kitchen, he brushed by Hannah's shoulder and whispered in her ear.

"Let's go up to your room. We need a moment alone."

Heat and excitement filled her body upon hearing those words. While no one was watching the pair slipped upstairs, closing the door behind them as they entered Hannah's room and sat down on her unmade bed.

"I got you something." He said, pulling a small box out of his pocket. It was topped with a red bow. Hannah's mouth fell open in surprise. Guilt flooded over her like a wave.

"You got me a Christmas present? You shouldn't have."

"But I did." He said. "I bought it a while ago because it reminded me of you. I was just waiting for the right time to give it to you."

He offered her the box. Taking in every drop of blue in his eyes, she accepted the present and carefully removed the bow, opening the box.

And she saw the most gorgeous necklace she had ever seen displayed on the inside. Dangling from a gold chain was a gem embedded in gold framing. It was a jewel unlike any she had ever seen. It shone a soft and subtle green with hints of golden brown. A beautiful shade of…

"Hazel," she breathed out loud. Killua nodded.

"Just like your eyes. And your name."

"It's beautiful."

"So are you," he said. Hannah looked up at him with wide eyes. It was rare that he ever gave her such a direct, unfiltered compliment. Her cheeks blushed bright red and she was suddenly lost for words.

"Here," Killua said, gesturing for her to give him the necklace back so that he could put it on for her. Hands on her shoulders, he spun her around so that her back was up against his chest. Brushing her hair to one side of her neck, he used careful fingers to place the necklace so that the gem rested just beneath her collarbone.

Even after the necklace was securely attached around her neck, she made no move to turn back around. She lingered there, feeling the heat of his body behind her, enjoying the closeness of his presence. He bent his neck closer to her so that she could feel the heat of his breath on her neck. And then he got even closer. Before she knew it, he was pressing a kiss to her neck. Hannah breathed in sharply. Slowly and seductively he worked his way down to her shoulder, kissing her exposed skin with agonizing seduction. Allowing his lips to linger for a moment or two longer, Killua pulled away and turned Hannah back around to face him.

Her eyelids were fluttery and her heart was a mess. She was hot all over and could only think about how much she didn't want him to stop.

"Thank you," She said to him softly. But then her eyes flung open wide when she realized what context she said those words in. "For the necklace! I meant thank you for the necklace! Not the-"

Killua smiled.

"Don't worry I'm not charging extra."

"Killua!"

He only smirked back at her. Gathering herself with a deep breath, Hannah looked at him straight.

"I feel so bad that I don't have anything to give you in return."

"I can think of a few things I'd want," he said quickly, looking at her with the most dangerous glint in his eyes.

"I meant a gift," Hannah clarified, swallowing heavily. "Something I could wrap. If only I knew you'd be back by Christmas, I could have gotten you a sweater or something and wrapped in this new wrapping paper I got. It has gingerbread men and snowman on it…"

"How will I live the rest of my life without the gingerbread men and snowman?"

"I guess I could go shopping and give you a belated Christmas present, but I'm afraid it won't have the same effect."

"You really don't need to get me anything," he said seriously, looking right into her eyes. Then he added something as an afterthought. "Especially if that something is a sweater. I don't do sweaters."

Suddenly, Hannah clapped her hands together as an idea sprung into her head.

"I know!" She exclaimed. "Wait here."

She hurried across the room to her desk where she fluttered through the mess of books, journals and papers on top of it. Locating her sketchbook, she picked it up and brought it back over to where Killua was standing with a stupefied look on his face.

"I want to give you one of my drawings," Hannah said. Despite the genius of her idea, she was beginning to feel slightly self-conscious. Killua had seen her sketches before, but that was by accident showing them to him on purpose was even more frightening. "It was one that I did while you were rescuing Gon." She quickly flipped open to one of the last pages she had drawn on and showed it to Killua.

Drawn completely in pencil, the sketch depicted the three of them: Killua, Gon and Hannah. They were arm in arm and smiling warmly.

"Leorio gave me a picture of Gon so that's how I knew what he looked like. He looks older now, but I think it's pretty accurate."

Killua looked at it in awe. "Damn, I can't believe I forgot how amazing you are at this. It's incredible."

Hannah smiled at him and then ripped the page out of the sketch book, holding it out for him to take. "I want you to have it. I do."

He took it, folded the paper up and put it into the inner chest pocket of his jacket. "I'll protect it forever. Thank you."

Hannah blushed. "No problem. I mean, it's still really lame in comparison to your gift. And besides I have plenty of other drawings…"

Hannah trailed off as she looked in curiosity down at her sketchbook. The next page—the one after the page she had just torn out—was empty. There wasn't so much as a single pencil mark on it.

"Something wrong?" Killua asked.

"No…" she said slowly. "It's just… I could've sworn I had already drawn on this page. A raven, I drew a raven."

Killua looked at the blank sheet of paper. "An invisible raven?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Hannah laughed it off. "I guess I'm just going a little crazy."

"You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, of course. I couldn't be better."

"Good," Killua said, kissing her temple. "And Gon and I need to leave soon."

Hannah sighed. "I figured. He looked pretty exhausted. Is he going to be okay?"

"Definitely," Killua said. "Although I'd be lying if I said I wasn't still worried. Gon isn't the kind of guy to let anyone see when he's hurting. I bet he put on a brave face for you since it's Christmas, but I'm sure he's still in a lot of pain from everything he went through."

"He's pretty amazing," Hannah said in a mixture of awe and concern. "You get going, then. Make sure you look after him for me."

"With my life," Killua said seriously. And Hannah knew that he meant it. He stood up and moved for the door. "I'll be back here tomorrow morning to pick you up. Make sure you have a bag packed."

Hannah tilted her head in confusion. "Where are we going?"

Killua smiled a grim smile that brought her back to reality. Christmas wouldn't last forever. "We just stole back Gon from right under the Man in the Metal Mask's nose. He isn't going to be happy about that. You may be safe from his clutches for the moment, but Gon certainly isn't. We need to go into hiding until we're ready to deal with this once and for all. You don't have to come with us of course, but I figured you might want to."

"And?" Hannah prompted.

"And I want you to come too."

Despite being reminded of the reality of their situation, Hannah smiled. "Should I pack a swimsuit? I'd prefer our hiding place to be somewhere tropical."

Killua merely answered her question with a laugh and headed back downstairs to awaken his slumbering friend. Hannah followed with a happy heart.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hi! I'm back. Did you miss me? Forget me? Hate me for not uploading in a couple years? All of the above? Yeah, so I have a lot of excuses for not posting in so long (some of them are mental health related), but I won't bore you with the details. A lot has changed in my life (I hear that's how life works) but I recently started re-watching HunterxHunter and I was bored tonight so I decided to check the reviews on this story. And wow, a lot of people said some really nice things and asked me for more chapters, so here we are. I wasn't lying in my last author's note- I actually did write quite a few chapters of Part Three in order to get ahead in the story. That means I have a few more nearly ready to go up after this one. The problem is that I didn't keep writing and although I had the last six or so chapters of the story planned out, they never actually got written and I lost interest. Nowadays I have a lot of commitments to juggle and its been a while since I've thought about this particular plot, so no promises, but maybe I'll get the inspiration to carry this thing out to the end.**

 **Shout out to the people who started reading this relatively recently and, on the off chance someone from the early days of this story is still here, thanks to you my dear friend!**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter,**

 **Ellie**


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